Twilight Emergence
by Yeshua
Summary: Riku, Kairi and Axel have settled into a normal life on the Destiny Islands after leaving a certain character for dead. However, they should have made sure he was dead first. Sequel to Twilight Existence. AntiSora fic
1. Prelude

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone. I'm back. It didn't take long, did it? This is the sequel to Twilight Existence, which was my first Anti-Sora fic. It has since spawned off two other fics: Danger of Despair and Black Fate (I hope the authoress starts making that into a multi-chapter fic soon). Sooner or later, I will get around to making a C2 for these fics. Also, if you haven't read Twilight Existence, please go read it so you know why certain characters are a little OOC and why they are together now. Oh, by the way, I don't own Kingdom Hearts 2. If I did, I wouldn't be looking for a job now. Now for the specifics.

**Title:** Twilight Emergence

**Characters:** All the characters were not dead when Twilight Existence ended.

**Plot:** Riku, Kairi and Axel settle into a normal life on the Destiny Islands after leaving a certain character for dead. However, they should have made sure he was dead before getting so comfortable. Sequel to Twilight Existence. (Anti-Sora fic)

**Rating:** T, for blood and violence.

**Specialized Warnings:** Those who have read Twilight Existence know that there was a lot of killing and a lot of blood. Those who are a little sensitive need not read this story. This time, I mean it because there isn't going to be a happy ending this time. People will parish.

* * *

Prelude 

Kingdom Hearts (The place, not the game)

Sora:

Darkness engulfed me on all sides. It was simply all I could see in any direction. I knew where I was and yet, I didn't. I existed and yet, I did not. I was here because I had been killed. Killed by my best friend…my crush.

_Kairi…?_

_Why…?_

The question drifted around in the air as if I had uttered the word from my lips. I didn't want to die. I refused to. Perhaps that's why I was here. Without really thinking about it, I scanned the area again. This time, the darkness was writhing. I narrowed my eyes slightly. In the darkness was…bodies.

_Heartless._

Hundreds of yellow eyes opened simultaneously. A chorus of hisses and what sounded much like laughter. I hardly felt threatened. They kept their distance. The creatures were curious.

"There is something different about you."

A voice. The Heartless were speaking to me. I tilted my head in confusion.

"What is different?" I asked.

"You are one of us. We can't attack you."

A chorus of 'one of us' assaulted my ears. I winced.

"Enough! What do you mean?" I shouted.

"You've got a heart…but you feel like us."

_A heart? You mean I didn't lose it? Interesting…_

"I need your help then. I am like you. Will you help me?" I asked.

"What do you need?"

"I want to find my way to a certain world."

How amusing would it be if Riku saw me again? I let out a small laugh.

I won't let myself die.

* * *

Destiny Islands 

Kairi:

Life had almost returned to normal, despite the fact that Sora was gone. For the last few months, sleep had not come easily. His face was permanently frozen in my mind. His eyes….filled with anger and confusion…

It pierced my soul. I was uncertain if he would ever forgive me. But as the days passed, the nightmares ceased and everything returned to normal. The nightmare known as Anti-Sora had gracefully passed without incident. Axel accompanied us back to our world, stating that he had nowhere else to go. We welcomed him into our tree house with open arms. He really was a nice person on the inside. Besides, I think that he was glad to get away from the World that Never Was.

"Kairi, how are you feeling today?"

I glanced up from the cup of coffee that I had been nursing all morning. Axel stared at me with a quizzical look on his face.

"I'm fine, Axel. Where's Riku?"

Riku and Axel had become close friends since we had returned to the islands.

"Probably out working somewhere on the island. Do you want me to get him?"

I shook my head and sighed.

"No."

Axel shrugged.

"Something wrong?"

"I was just thinking about Sora again."

"He's dead now, got it memorized?"

"Yeah, I know. I wish I knew his soul was at rest."

"Kairi…we've been over this. For all of our sakes, let it go."

_He was right._

Before I could say anything, a rumble of thunder shook the tree.

"Axel, could you fetch Riku?" I asked.

"Sure."

The Nobody was gone in a blink of an eye, leaving me alone in the medium-sized kitchen. I stood up and walked up to the window above the sink. Dark, gray clouds hovered over the horizon threateningly. A storm was coming. Before I could turn, pain snaked through my waist, bringing tears to my eyes. I grasped the edge of the sink with my hands, bracing myself.

_What was going on?_

The pain faded away as quickly as it came, leaving me short of breath.

"Sora…"

* * *

Sora: 

The Heartless giggled and laughed joyously around me as I walked along the darkness. Since I had become aware hours ago, everything seemed different. The darkness was still dark and massive, but it seemed much lighter than before. The Heartless had become my trusted allies in Kingdom Hearts. They obeyed me to a point as well for I had gotten hungry in the depths. The Heartless fed me from their collection of hearts.

Now I understood why my anti-existence loved them…craved for them. There was so much strength contained in them. Strength that can be easily absorbed into the body to retain. I used to abhor Ansem and his obsession with the darkness, but not anymore. The Heartless felt silent around me…

"The entrance is here. You need only to focus."

"Thank you," I said appreciatively.

The creatures giggled and folded away quickly. I turned my gaze in front of me. There was a white portal a few yards away. Destiny Islands. I was finally coming back home. How ironic that I would have to spill blood here. I stepped in the portal…and found myself in the middle of a street. It was slightly dark and it was raining…but nothing could stop me from recognizing the tall leafy palms of my home. I took in a deep gulp of island air and allowed a smile to grace my face.

"Excuse me!"

I turned my head in the direction of the voice. A girl with long brown hair and brown eyes rushed up to me under a large umbrella. She was wearing a white shirt with a blue tie and a plaid blue shirt. The girl seemed very familiar…

"Sora? Is that you? What did you do to your hair?"

"Who are you?" I asked softly.

I was genuinely curious this time.

"I'm Selphie, silly. How can you not remember me?"

_Selphie…Selphie was Kairi's friend. This may be a problem._

"Ah, Selphie," I muttered dryly.

"Oh my god, Kairi would love to see you! I should call her!"

That would be a bad idea for now. I grabbed her wrist and held it tightly. She attempted to pull away from me.

"Don't try to get away from me. I rather not have you tell Kairi anything," I hissed.

"What has gotten into you? Let me go!"

I twisted her wrist sharply to the right. A loud satisfying crack sounded. Selphie howled in pain and began crying. I was going to kill her…but letting Kairi and Riku know that I was alive was so much sweeter. I released her wrist and smiled.

"Tell Kairi that I'm alive. Tell her that I was going to kill you."

Selphie sniffled and ran down the street. I watched her with an amused smile on my face.

"I'm back…"


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much for the reviews for this fic and the ones still coming for Twilight Existence. I had no idea that it was much more popular than I thought. I feel so honored. Honestly, I do.

Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 1

Tree house

Kairi:

After my episode of pain, I sat down in a comfortable chair in the living room. My head ached a little and I felt a little sick. I wasn't sure why at all. Riku and Axel walked into the room soaking wet. I chuckled softly.

"I was hoping you were going to get back before it started raining," I commented.

"Blame Axel," Riku said simply as he walked past me and into the hallway.

Axel sighed and shook his head.

"It's his fault," He muttered, taking off for the other hallway.

After a few seconds, Riku poked his head in the doorway.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Actually, no. I've been feeling pain for the last couple of hours."

"You don't think—"

"I don't want to rule that out, Riku," I interrupted tersely.

Before he could say anything else, the door bell rang.

"I'll get it!" Axel shouted as he walked through the living room.

* * *

Riku:

I rolled my eyes as Axel scrambled up to the front of the house. I think he was losing his mind here. Maybe he couldn't take simple island living. I walked into the living room just as a frantic Selphie ran in. Wait…frantic wasn't quite the word. Selphie was terrified. What possibly could have terrified Selphie?

"I-It's terrible! Kairi, S-Sora's alive!" Selphie shrieked.

Kairi stared at her in disbelief. So did Axel. All of us were fairly certain that Sora was dead before we left.

"That's a sick joke," Axel muttered.

When Kairi didn't say anything, I stepped in.

"Maybe you saw someone who looked like Sora, Selphie. Sora's been dead for a while now," I said as gently as I could.

I could see Kairi growing paler by the moment. Even though we had discussed this many, many times, she still believed that Sora would come back and seek revenge. She wasn't the only one who thought the same thing for a while.

"I'm not lying, nor am I hallucinating, Riku. He was there right in front of my eyes. H-He broke my wrist!"

Selphie held out her wrist for all of us to see. It was a gruesome sight.

"Riku, you should go with her to the hospital," Kairi suggested, her voice tight with emotion.

"Ok. Come on, Selphie."

I grabbed Selphie gingerly by the arm and led her to the front.

"Want to join me, Axel?" I asked sarcastically.

"No, it looks like you have everything under control. In any case, if Sora's alive, he'll want to come after Kairi," Axel replied softly.

I heard a door slam in the background and sighed.

"I'll be back soon. You know what to do," I muttered as I walked out.

* * *

6:37 P.M.

Sora:

The rain had subsided and with that, came the crowds of people bustling about. I stayed in the area near the hospital to regain my bearings. This was home. I had been away for so long. Everything had changed so much. Were my parents still alive? How old were my friends now? Would they recognize me? Well…Selphie did, but she really wasn't my friend. My gaze fell on a puddle inches away from me on my right.

I approached it and examined my reflection. My hair was straight and long, my skin was pale and nearly ghostly and my eyes…my eyes…they were a glassy amber color. No more blue pure eyes. I was like them—the Heartless. Perhaps I had merged with my Anti-existence.

"Come on, Selphie. Let's go get this checked out."

_That voice!_

I tore my gaze away from the puddle and turned around slowly. Riku was walking inside the hospital with Selphie by his side.

_Perfect._

I was hungry now. It had been hours since the Heartless had fed me. I couldn't very well call them out here in broad daylight to help me. I had to learn the extent of my powers. I touched the ground and focused. My body instantly melted into the ground…much like a shadow Heartless. I started towards the hospital and made my way inside. Riku and Selphie were a few steps ahead, talking with a person in a white coat.

After a few seconds, the person escorted Selphie to an open room on the left and then proceeded to lead Riku down another hallway. I moved into the open room and emerged from the floor. I pushed the door closed softly and locked it. Selphie stared at me with wide, frightened eyes.

"S-Sora…" She stammered.

"Did you miss me?" I asked, crossing the distance between us.

The girl backed up against the wall.

"What are you going to do to me?"

I pinned her body to the wall with my body. Selphie began to shake in fear.

"You've seen Kairi, haven't you?" I asked softly.

I was so hungry…I had to feed. I also had to restrain myself in order to get the answers that I needed.

"Y-Yes."

"Where is she now?"

"Are you going to hurt her?"

That's not the answer I wanted. I grabbed her by the neck and applied a small amount of pressure.

"Tell me where she is, Selphie," I hissed.

Selphie whimpered. I stepped back and slammed her body against the wall.

"O-Okay! She lives on the other island in a tree house! You can reach it by boat!"

I smiled and plunged my other hand through her chest in order to obtain her heart. I pulled it out and let Selphie's body drop to the floor. I devoured her heart with gusto, thrilled with the success of my first hunt. I licked the blood off of my hands and sighed contentedly.

_Now for Kairi._

I returned to the door and unlocked it…just as Riku was about to knock on it…

Our eyes met.

"I suggest you run back to Kairi," I hissed before melting into the floor and moving away from the door.

* * *

Tree house

7:14 P.M.

Riku:

I rushed into the house, half expecting to see Axel dead and the entire place decorated with blood. But it wasn't.

"What's wrong with you?" Axel asked as he stepped into the hallway.

"I saw Sora."

"You're going nuts like that Selphie girl."

I ignored his comment.

"Where's Kairi?"


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Okay, thanks for the reviews. I have a few things to ask of my readers. As for the situation with Kairi, do you think I should turn her fully Anti or do another evil thing to her (and I don't meaning killing her)? Let me know what you think in a review. Also, there is a scene coming up in about…two chapters at Hollow Bastion where he finally tears it apart. I've been really paranoid about killing Cloud and of course, the infamous One Winged Angel. Anyone have any ideas about that? Leave it in a review also. And lastly, who wants to write a chapter? I will accept guest chapters on this fic, just so I can get a little bit of a break. Please leave me a review cookie...please? 

Enough rambling. On with the story.

* * *

Chapter 2 

Tree House

Riku:

"She's in her room. She said she was feeling ill," Axel replied.

I felt somewhat relieved, but not enough to stop me from leaving Destiny Islands if I wanted. I had seen Sora with my own eyes. He was alive.

"We've got to get her out of here."

Axel stared at me as if I was Sora himself.

"Where will we go, Riku? The dark depths may be too dangerous for Kairi to travel. Gummi Ship travel is impossible now."

"Not really, I still have a Gummi Ship parked in the cove. We can use another Gummi route to escape."

"I still think you're overreacting."

I ignored him and walked to the back of the house. Kairi's door was slightly ajar. As I reached it, I could feel cool air drifting out from it. I pushed it open and was met with Kairi lying on her bed in the fetal position.

* * *

Hospital 

Sora:

I was more than amused as I indulged my growing bloodlust. So far, nurses, doctors and security officers had thrown themselves at me. They were, or rather, they became the blanket of corpses underneath my feet. People had already cleared out the hospital after I blew up one word with a Firaga spell. Magical abilities had not been lost to me. I distantly wondered if I could control the keyblade again.

That would come later. Now I was getting tired of distractions. It was time to go see Riku and Kairi for myself. I briskly walked through the entrance and continued until I got a safe distance away. Then, I turned around and let a huge Firaga spell fly from my hands into the hospital. It exploded into a large ball of flames that licked the sky.

_Wow…not bad._

"Heartless, I need you," I said aloud.

A chorus of hissing answered me instantly.

"Can you sense Riku?" I asked softly.

"Yes."

"Please take me to him."

* * *

Riku: 

Kairi was in bad shape. She felt feverish and clammy at the same time. Funny, she felt fine this morning. We didn't have time to take her to the hospital. Plus I had a feeling that Sora had been creating havoc there. I fished a cloak out of her closet and wrapped it around her body. I gently picked her up and carried her out of the room. She didn't budge an inch from the movement. Axel was now dressed in his black trench coat.

"I thought you said that I was overreacting?" I commented.

"Ok…maybe I thought you were telling the truth."

_That's Axel for you._

"Whatever, let's go."

We headed off to the front of the house. Our home wasn't that high off of the ground because Kairi insisted that she didn't want to fall and break her neck. I think she did that for me and Axel's benefit. Both of us had discovered the joys of alcohol. We often came home very drunk.

Now I bet you are wondering just how we get home when the house is on another island and we're totally wasted. We teleport. But that's another tale for later.

Axel and I walked down the stairs into the underbrush. There was nothing wrong yet. Moments later, we were walking out on the beach. Axel began looking all around us like a paranoid drunk person. Fortunately for us, we reached the cove without incident. Kairi suddenly went rigid in my arms. Her eyes shot open…

"Sora," She whispered hoarsely.

"Riku, we've got company," Axel said loudly.

I turned around and saw…

* * *

Sora: 

I stood in the entrance to the cove with a smile on my face. The Heartless took very little time in finding Riku. Once they showed me, I merely teleported over. Axel drew his weapons and stood in front of Riku. Kairi was looking at me with wide eyes. I could sense the growing darkness within her, just waiting for me to manipulate. My little present was working nicely.

"Hello, Riku and Axel," I greeted calmly.

"Why are you here, Sora?" Riku asked.

"I think you know why, so let's talk about something else. You know what I want."

"Riku, get in the Gummi Ship. I'll handle Sora," Axel hissed.

"Axel…I'll be with the Queen. Meet me there," Riku replied, before turning around to walk further into the cove.

I watched him without concern. I would catch up to them later.

"You're throwing your life away," I commented dryly.

"I won't let you just slaughter me, Sora. That would be disgraceful."

The Nobody extended his hand forward. Flames exploded out from the oddly shaped weapons towards me. I backed out of the cove to avoid them. Second later, Axel came at me with both of his weapons. I managed to back out of his reach without getting burned and increased the distance between us. I needed a weapon.

I extended my right hand and brought up the image of the keyblade in my mind. It instantly appeared in my hand, glowing with dark energy.

_A dark keyblade._

A torrent of flames exploded beneath me, propelling me backwards into the ocean water. By the time I recovered, I had salt water in my mouth and Axel had just disappeared into the dark realm.

_I am beyond pissed._

I spat the water out and teleported back into the dark realm. A small group of Heartless instantly surrounded me, giggling and hissing madly. However, after sensing my mood, they quieted down and simply stared at me.

"You can't avoid me for long."


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Okay, I decided I wouldn't kill Sephy. First of all, it's really hard to. I mean, that will take pages of detailed description. Plus, I have to give him a satisfying death. So, he will mysteriously disappear in the chapter where Hollow Bastion is featured again. Cloud will not escape this time. Sorry guys, we can't have too many being exempted from death. Anyways, I appreciated all of the reviews for the last chapter.

I have something worked out for Kairi, so you don't have to worry about that. However, the offer for a guest chapter is still up.

Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 3

Disney Castle

Riku:

Kairi was back on her feet by the time we arrived at the massive castle. I was relieved. I had to wonder exactly why Sora wanted Kairi. It couldn't be for love…

I would have to ponder on it more later. Minnie met us in the Gummi Ship Hanger with a worried smile on his face.

"Riku, it's good to see you again. However, I thought you said you would come back for shelter when something goes wrong. I hope this isn't the case."

"Sorry, your Majesty, but I'm afraid it's true. Sora has returned to us," I replied softly.

"He's so pissed right now, but I managed to get away from him safely."

_Axel?_

The Nobody materialized at the top of the stairs with a grin on his face. Kairi rushed up to him and hugged him tightly.

"But I thought you said he was dead, Riku," Minnie said gently.

"We need to discuss this over a drink."

* * *

Dark Depths

Sora:

_I. Was. Not. Amused._

Even after an hour of feeding on hearts and flesh, I was still tense. I don't think there was a human that survived my wrath on those islands today. I was honing my hunting skills to perfection. Not only that, but I gained the ability to change forms. Hunting as a human was totally different than hunting as a Heartless. The dark depths swirled gently around my body as I walked.

No Heartless accompanied me on my little jaunt this time though I knew they were watching from afar. Axel had left his unique scent in the air. Having just traveled through the realm, his scent was very potent. For a newbie like me, it was an excellent task to train on. I would be at his destination in a matter of hours.

* * *

Disney Castle

Riku:

"Sora's a lot more powerful than he was months ago. He may have merge with his anti form," I explained after taking a sip of my drink.

"I believe that's the only way he can come back," Minnie said quietly.

"Well actually, it's about to get unbelievable. That kid has control over the keyblade," Axel added.

_That was not good._

This suddenly got a lot more complicated. If Sora was regaining control over one keyblade, then soon, he'll harness enough power to dual wield.

_Not good._

"The Keyblade Bearer brings either salvation or ruin," Minnie muttered.

"Where does that come from?" Axel asked.

"That has been proven in history, Axel. This is very screwed up," I commented.

"Back at the islands, Sora said that you knew what he wanted. What exactly did he want?"

I stared at Axel a little before answering.

"He wants Kairi."

"The 7th princess of heart?" Minnie inquired.

I nodded.

"But why?"

"He infected her with the darkness."

"But that would taint her spirit. Just why would he do that?"

Trust me, if I knew why he was doing this, I would tell you.

"I have no idea. But we need to rest so that we can keep going to Hollow Bastion."

Minnie nodded.

"Well, don't let me keep you up."

Axel and I got up from the table and walked out of the room to the outer hallway.

"Axel, if you don't want to get involved in this, you know you can leave," I said in a soft voice.

Axel shook his head slowly.

"Nah, I'd rather stick around and have fun. Besides, you need a good ally by your side."

"Thanks Axel."

"You're welcome. Let's get some sleep, shall we?"

* * *

1:23 A.M.

Riku:

I couldn't sleep at all. The current situation just kept nagging at the back of my mind. Axel said that Sora was pissed that we had left him behind. If he was reborn from the darkness, he would have powers like the Heartless. The hairs on the back of my neck rose.

_Heartless powers…_

_He was tracking us right now._

_Shit…_

I sat up.

"Axel, Kairi, get up," I said loudly.

"W-What…is wrong, Riku?" Axel asked sleepily.

"Sora's tracking us. As long as we're in a place where it's easy to pick up on our energy signatures, he can find us."

Realization dawned on Axel's comical face quickly. He got up and slipped his Organization XIII coat on. Kairi sat up slowly and yawned. She still had her normal clothes on. So did I.

"The Gummi Ship it is, then?" Axel asked.

"Yeah. We've just got to get into the garage."

* * *

1:35 A.M.

Sora:

I stepped out of the portal I opened and smiled. After hours of traveling, I had finally made it. The only problem was that Axel's scent had faded. This castle seemed massive in size. I started forward down the large corridor. It was fairly quiet around here. Too quiet…

"Minnie, you shouldn't be out here. Riku said that Sora was out searching for them."

_Voices…_

Two creatures came into view—one a mouse and the other a duck.

"Daisy, we'll be fine," The mouse said.

"You'll be fine?" I asked loudly as I came into the light.

Minnie and Daisy froze in their tracks. Their fear permeated the air. I reveled in it. It was making me hungry.

"Sora, why are you here?" Minnie asked.

"Where are they?"

"W-Who?"

_Wrong answer._

I dashed forward, easily closing the distance between us.

"Don't play with me. I know you know where he is," I hissed.

Before Minnie could say anything, Daisy pulled her back and made an arcane symbol with her hands. A magical barrier formed between us, keeping me away from reaching them. It wouldn't last long.

"Daisy, go in the throne room and go into the room with the cornerstone. He can't harm you in there," Minnie ordered.

"No, I can't leave you here, Minnie! He'll tear you apart!"

"You should listen to her, Daisy. I am going to tear her apart piece by piece just like I did King Mickey," I said in a very low voice.

"Just go!" Minnie hissed.

Daisy reluctantly walked through the pair of doors next to her. Once she left, the mouse queen faced me. I touched the barrier and began drawing energy into my body. The immediate effect was the barrier shattering into pieces in front of her. I was in Minnie's face within seconds.

"You won't succeed, Sora," She whispered.

"Resign to your fate and shut up."

I touched her forehead and forced the energy I had collected earlier through her body. Her body went rigid…and then she collapsed to the ground. I wasn't hungry, but I wasn't about to let a meal go to waste.

"Brothers and Sisters, I have a meal for you," I said aloud.

A chorus of laughter and hissing answered me. I walked through the double doors and…

…felt the heat of a thousand suns on my body.

I screamed…

This hurt more than when I got stabbed to death. And it was just light…

Strength left my body, dropping me to my knees. My vision began to darken.

_Minnie set me up…_

"This is so not funny…"

I gathered up what energy I had left and teleported back to the dark realm. When the light faded away to darkness, I curled up into a ball.

_Rest…sleep…now…_


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Something weird was going on with the site this weekend, which delayed some email alerts. So, if you didn't read Ch.3 yet, go back and read it so that you will be caught up. The offer for the guest chapter is still up. Also, for the authoress of Black Fate, I don't mind doing guest chapters either.

Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 4

3:17 A.M.

Riku:

I could only pray that Minnie was okay. Perhaps…just perhaps Sora didn't make it to the castle. There was no way to tell…just to hope. As we wearily walked into a room in the town's inn, we could only hope for some rest and good news when we awoke.

* * *

Dark Depths

Sora:

I opened my eyes and allowed my body to stretch out along the floor…if that's what you would like to call it. That damnable object…that Cornerstone of Light repelled me. I wasn't about to let Daisy live, but as long as she remained shielded around that thing, I couldn't touch her. That bothered me a lot. If Riku figured out how to generate a portable version, I would be murdered again. Not before I finished what I started.

"Curaga."

The familiar cool sensation of a healing spell washed over me and I let out a sigh of relief. I checked my magical storage. Still full.

_Wonderful._

A chorus of hisses and laughter caught my attention.

"You're awake. We found your friend in Hollow Bastion."

_Huh? Wow, they work fast._

That was great because I wanted to see Kairi.

"Take me there."

* * *

4:02 A.M.

Hollow Bastion

Sora:

There was another reason why the Heartless found out where my 'friends' so quickly. I sat down on the roof and took in my surroundings. The town had changed a lot since I had last seen it. The neighborhood was more of a labyrinth, but now it was beautiful and ornate. The castle was now rebuilt and standing proudly on the outskirts. I felt so left out from everything…

A chorus of hissing drew my attention away from the town. I inched over to the other side of the roof and crouched down. Kairi was leaning against the side of the building with her hand over her heart. She seemed like she was in pain, but she wasn't. I allowed myself to take in a little of the dark energy that she was producing. Kairi was ready to transform…ready to feed.

"Do it," I half thought/half whispered aloud.

The girl doubled over as vapor covered her body.

_Good girl._

I smiled softly as she tore into the Heartless immediately. She was feeding…

I licked my lips slowly.

_Now I was getting hungry._

"Bring her a heart to feast on, my siblings," I said aloud.

The Heartless that hadn't met death vanished, leaving behind one fresh heart. Kairi bounded over to and began devouring it.

"What are you doing here?"

_What?_

I straightened up and turned around. Riku stared at me with his anger filled cerulean/green eyes. His keyblade was resting at his side.

"Can't I enjoy the show?" I asked, motioning to Kairi, who was being fed yet another heart. Riku followed my hand and made an inhuman sound.

"What did you do to her?" He asked, voice laced with anger.

"All I did was give her a little push to get what I want."

"Change her back, Sora or I'll—"

"You'll do what, Riku? I won't let you kill her, if murder is what you are aiming for."

Surprise blanketed Riku's face.

"Why…?" He asked.

"Last time I checked, she was your best friend. Maybe now you've grown to like her a little more. In any case, she is carrying something that I want. I won't let you cut that away from me."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kairi collapse and the black vapor fade. The darkness inside was growing. It would need more hearts to nurture.

_Damn Riku's interference._

"Go retrieve her. The Heartless might devour her. They've been known to get…a little antsy," I spat, turning away from him.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me! Holy!"

I found myself flying across the town…burning much like I did earlier. When I did finally land…the world went black.

* * *

Morning:

"You die now, Sora!"


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** I managed to conjure up a chapter for an update today. There may or may not be an update tomorrow, because usually I have chapters done in advance, but sadly I don't. I need time to catch up, so you may get an update tomorrow or you may get one on Wednesday.

* * *

Chapter 5

Morning

Hollow Bastion

Sora:

"You die now, Sora!" I opened my eyes and noticed two things. One was that I had lost consciousness in Hollow Bastion. The second thing was that Tifa was standing right above me with an angry look on her face. Not something I wanted to wake up in the morning that's for sure. Of course, nothing could prepare me for what she did next. Tifa sharply and powerfully kicked me in the side, launching me over the side of the rock I was on.

Though I my side hurt like hell, I managed to straighten up so that I could land on my feet. The landing still rattled my body, but there was no need to use a healing spell yet. Tifa jumped down to my level and put up her guard.

"Trying to do Riku's dirty work?" I asked.

"I owe you an ass-kicking for the last time."

I laughed. Though I couldn't remember the last fight between Tifa and me, I imagine my anti-existence had something to do with it. Tifa charged forward and launched her right fist at me. I managed to grab it, but the sheer force behind it was enough to send me back a few steps. I twisted around and threw her into the nearest wall. Tifa hit the wall and quickly recovered within seconds.

_Interesting._

I extended my hand and conjured up a Firaga spell. The woman narrowly avoided the huge fireball by flipping away from it. I quickly conjured another one just as she started charging at me. It collided with her body, knocking her clear across the field.

_It is not over yet._

I started after her, tapping into the unreal speed that Neoshadows had. I reached her before she could get up and pounced right on top of her. Tifa punched me in the face and pushed me off of her.

_Okay…I'm getting tired of getting my ass handed to me. I just woke up, damnit._

_Plus, my jaw hurt._

I got back onto my feet and pounced back onto her. We rolled around on the ground, attempting to get free of each other and kill each other at the same time.

_Too bad she wanted to kill me._

I bet she would be great as a Heartless. However, she had tested my patience far too much for me to be that kind. I pinned her onto the ground and plunged my hand into her chest. Tifa swiped at my head, catching the side of my face with her nails. I grabbed one of her ribs and snapped in half. She howled/half coughed up blood. Unless she knew magic, she wasn't going to recover from this.

I carefully extracted her heart and devoured it. Strength poured through my veins. Tifa's strength was absolutely wonderful to be in control of.

_What a great breakfast._

_

* * *

_

Riku:

"Cloud, you've got to help Tifa. Sora's attacking her!" Aerith shouted.

_Sora…?_

But I had attacked him last night. He should be weakened. Kairi glanced at me with a strange look in her eyes. After last night, I wasn't sure how to act around her. For lack of a better term, I'd say I was afraid of her. I drew my keyblade and followed Cloud right up to the large expanse in front of Hollow Bastion. Sora was standing there right next to Tifa's body.

My breath hitched in my throat involuntarily. He had murdered again. Cloud screamed and charged toward the boy, sword held slightly above his chest. I started to follow him, but Kairi stopped me.

"Don't interfere," She hissed.

I gave her a strange look. She stared back with her now cold piercing eyes.

"What has gotten into you?" I asked.

Suddenly, I wished that Axel was here instead of sleeping in the inn. Sora dodged Cloud's wide swing and launched a kick at his back. Cloud spun around and deflected it with his blade, knocking Sora off balance. With what appeared as a flick of his wrist, Cloud separated his sword into six small ones. Sora backed up and watched with wary eyes. All of a sudden, Cloud dashed forward almost too fast to follow.

He raised his sword to strike. Sora caught his blade in mid swing and flipped him fully over his head. Cloud hit the ground with enough force to shake the surface.

_I had to go help him!_

I started forward again and once again, Kairi moved to block me.

"I said, don't interfere," She spat.

Meanwhile, Sora had picked up one of the swords that had fallen to the ground and was heading back over to Cloud, who was struggling to get back onto his feet. Sora plunged the sword through his upper torso and then extended his hand out. Another sword flew into his hand and he plunged that one through his chest. This went on until there were no swords left and Cloud was lying in a pool of his own blood. I stared at Kairi in horror. She smiled and turned to face Sora.

"Kairi…" Sora whispered.

I gently pushed Kairi aside and pointed my keyblade at him.

"What did you do to her?" I asked.

"Nothing. Perhaps she's doing this of her own accord."

"Liar! How am I supposed to believe you when you just murdered two people!"

"They deserved to die," Kairi hissed.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"In any case, Riku, I'd love to chat, but I'm afraid I must go. You'll see me again soon."

Sora disappeared into a portal, leaving us in the middle of the expanse.

"Um…Riku, why are we here?"

_What?_

I turned to face my friend. Kairi gave me a confused look.

And just like that, she was back to normal.

All of this was looking bad for my health.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** I was supposed to ask in the last chapter if anyone knew what was wrong with Kairi yet. But since this chapter reveals exactly what's wrong, there's no need for that, is there? This is a lengthy chapter, because I actually had to sit and get it like I wanted it. Anyways, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this one. Oh, for those SoraxKairi fans, there's a small bit of fluff for you.

* * *

Chapter 6 

Port Royal

Riku:

It had been almost two weeks since we had last seen Sora. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Not surprisingly, things returned to normal. About as normal as normal can be with a Nobody and a friend that was turning to darkness. After I explained what happened to Axel, we both agreed to keep a closer eye on Kairi. The only thing was that doing this was proving to be extremely difficult.

The memories from nearly two weeks ago haunted me. To think that she would stop me from helping Cloud so that Sora could carry out his own justice. It wasn't her…right? Sora was just using his power to influence her. Even I knew that was a lie. Sora couldn't lie if his heart depended on it. Though he planted the seed, Kairi was doing this of her own accord. My frustration stemmed from not being able to comprehend the situation. With each passing day, I was growing more and more angry.

'_Last time I checked, she was your best friend. Maybe now you've grown to like her a little more.'_

_Hell, was he a mind reader?_

Sora hit me with his words. But it was true. During the months, I had grown closer to her, hoping that we could be more than friends. Before Sora showed up, that almost happened. I sighed and walked into Axel's room. Axel was idly twirling his chakrams in the air. With each arc, flames briefly appeared in the air.

"So…what's wrong?" He asked.

"Everything."

Axel waved his hands and the chakrams disappeared.

"Riku, we should take it easy while we can. I know the situation with Kairi was is nerve-wracking, but it is not the end of the worlds," He said seriously.

"You can't begin to understand! I…I love her, Axel. I care so much for her."

"Trust me, Riku. I've been in love before. I know how hard it is."

* * *

Kairi: 

I just happened to walk by Axel's door…

"Sora's tainting her from the inside. He's manipulating her into turning like him. I don't want to kill her!"

_Riku? Yes, that was Riku…and he was talking about me._

Confusion tore through all rational thought. I threw open the door and walked inside.

"How could you?" I asked, my voice quickly reaching a higher pitch mid-sentence.

Axel pasted a neutral expression on his face. Riku simply stared at me.

"What are you talking about?" Axel asked.

"I just overheard your last statement. You knew why I was blacking out and you didn't tell me!"

"How do you think I feel, Kairi? Two weeks ago you stopped me from helping Cloud even as he was being stabbed to death!"

I gasped.

_I did that?_

"I had no memory of the event," I said quietly.

"Aren't you special? You don't have the weight of death looming over your head. I could have saved Cloud!"

I found myself getting angry.

"It was not my fault!" I screamed.

"Like hell it wasn't! You got corrupted by him and you continued to live on! Maybe you should have killed yourself back then!" Riku shouted and stormed out of the room.

Axel stood up and started towards me. I shook my head and ran out of the room. I continued until I was out of the building. I ran until I couldn't anymore with tears streaming down my face. As I bent over to catch my breath, I noticed that I was on the cliff overlooking the pier. Not only that, but Sora was sitting on the edge, facing the ocean.

"Sora…"

* * *

Sora: 

"Sora…"

The sound of Kairi's voice shook me out of my trance. I turned around and stared at the red-headed girl.

"Kairi…" I breathed.

"What did you do to me?" She asked bluntly.

"I want you to join me, Kairi. Join me with the darkness. Join me and the child."

Kairi's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"The child?"

I carefully stood up and closed the distance between us.

"Yes, the child I am growing within you. Please Kairi…"

"Sora…"

I reached in and kissed her on the lips gently. Kairi responded with hesitation at first, but then, it grew in passion and intensity. After a moment or two, we separated.

"Come with me, Kairi," I whispered.

"Get away from him!"

_Interference._

Axel walked into view, chakrams floating at his side. I actually expected Riku to come around to save the day.

_Oh well._

"Axel, what a surprise," I said calmly.

"Riku may not care at the moment, but I do. Kairi, he didn't mean what he said."

"Are you saying that or did he actually say that?"

Kairi's voice was cold and quiet. I didn't know about the previous argument, but something was working in my favor.

"Kairi…please…"

"So what are you going to do?" I asked with a smirk on my face.

"I'm going to fight you, of course."

_Typical._

"Allow me to change our surroundings."

I summoned power to my hand and waved it around. All of a sudden, we were on the deck of a ship in the middle of the inlet. Axel started the fight with a large burst of fire. I pushed Kairi aside and ran to the other side of the deck. I drew my keyblade and started towards him. He released another blast of fire in my direction. I released energy in the air and wove it into a Blizzaga spell. My spell wiped out the fire instantly. When the steam cleared, Axel was within walking distance from me.

He performed a sideways swipe with one of his chakrams. I deflected it with my keyblade and went in with another strike. Axel deflected that with his other chakram and backed away. I eased over to the mast and waited for his next move. His next move was yet another fireball. I took the keyblade, cut the rope next to me, and grabbed on for a convenient ride to the top. While I was riding up, I sent a much larger Blizzaga blast. I failed to realize how much danger Kairi was in until after the spell went off.

The tattletale splinter of wood and the lurch of the ship followed it…

Kairi screamed. I turned my gaze to her just as she fell over the side of the ship. Before I could jump after her, the ship split in half, and glanced around. Kairi was sinking underneath the surface on my left. I swam over to her as fast as I could muster. Once I reached her, I grabbed her and swam for the shore. I reached the shore within minutes. With a grunt, I pulled her up on the sand. I glanced over her. She was still breathing, thank god.

But the darkness inside was rapidly weakening. I quickly ran my nail/claw across my wrist and opened Kairi's mouth. I held my wrist to her mouth and allowed the blood to drip down in it. I watched her carefully swallow it with a sigh of relief. I cast Cura on my wrist and sat Kairi up.

"I need to help you feed. We need to get you out of here," I whispered.

"Yes, for our child."


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** I know you guys have a lot of questions. A few things will be answered in this wonderful filler chapter that is oh, so, important to the plot. Thank you for the reviews.

Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 7

Twilight Town—Yensid's Tower

12:00 A.M.

Riku:

Axel had returned to the inn soaking wet and tired. Kairi was now with Sora and it was all my fault. I didn't expect her to run away from the hotel. I couldn't help but wonder how long Sora had been in our midst. The funny thing was that we hadn't heard anything about any disappearances or murders. Just when I was beginning to understand the situation that Mickey started months ago, something further complicates things.

That's why I was here at the top of Yensid's tower. The old wizard was the first person Sora met with to talk about the Nobodies. DiZ told me that his servants, the fairy Godmothers, (A/N: I almost wrote Fairy Godparents for some odd reason.) had given Sora his clothes.

"Do you think this Yensid guy has some answers?" Axel asked quietly.

"Hopefully."

I walked through the portal and emerged into a large study full of books. There were moon shaped and star shaped windows on the other side of the shape. The room had a slight musty order to it. Someone hadn't been there in months.

"Who are you?"

I turned my head in the direction of the voice. A man dressed in blue robes was standing in a doorway off to the right.

"You must be Yensid," I said softly.

"I am. Now who are you?"

"I'm Riku and this is Axel."

Yensid crossed the room and settled into a chair.

"Your friend is a Nobody."

Axel scoffed.

"Is that a bad thing?" He asked.

I could sense irritation in his voice.

"Months ago, you were the enemy," Yensid said matter-of-factly.

I cleared my throat.

"Excuse me, but you can have this little debate later. Right now, I have some questions. Sora has merged himself with the darkness. Before Mickey died, he blamed the change on his clothes," I said as calmly as I could.

"Mickey was right. Shortly after Roxas reunited with him, Sora came here for knowledge. Mickey thought it would be best if we aided him with spiritual energy."

"Mickey knew about the darkness, didn't he?"

"We all knew, except for Sora, of course. Not only that, but we didn't want to take it out. Mickey knew that Sora's spirit would counteract the darkness for some time, but it really wasn't guaranteed."

"Oh I get it. You and Mickey wanted to wipe out the existence of Nobodies. You pushed Sora to work harder, which in turn, sacrificed Roxas! I should burn you to hell!"

In just an instant, Axel had his chakrams out. Fire danced upon its surface and up and down his arms. He wasn't joking.

"Axel, stop. Calm down," I said loudly.

In truth, I was just as angry as he was.

"We didn't expect another race to spawn from the Heartless attacks," Yensid replied idly.

"And what now? Were you planning on sitting on your ass again? Sora has Kairi in his grasp and she needs our help!" Axel snapped.

"Yensid, Sora's growing a child within Kairi. We need to know how to stop him," I muttered, allowing irritation to creep into my voice.

"He can't do anything like that yet. He's bluffing. Besides, that girl was the 7th princess of heart. It will take time to fully turn her."

_What?_

Sora was just buying time to actually do what he wanted. That gave us a chance, but we still had to find him. Suspicion crept up my spine. It was true that Yensid helped Mickey, but…perhaps there was more to this that he was letting on.

"You know more than you're letting on," I said suddenly.

"Perhaps I do, but I'm through answering your questions," The wizard answered tersely.

I smirked.

"Axel, would you?"

Axel smiled and lifted his chakrams.

"Sure. I would love to."

All of a sudden, the outer edges of the room burst into flames. I drew my keyblade and moved behind Yensid before he could bat an eyelash.

"Now, my friend here was known as the Flurry of Dancing Flames within the Organization XIII. Do you want to find out how he got that nickname?" I asked in a low voice.

"Fine, I'll tell you. If Sora succeeds in doing this, he'll gain untold power. However, even if you kill me, you won't stop them from reviving a certain person."

"Who?" I asked.

The wizard fell silent.

_That was my cue to move and let Axel be himself._

So I did. Axel immediately engulfed the room with flames and laughed. Leaving him to his handiwork, I walked through the door we came through. Who was the person he was talking about? The only person who might be of any importance was Mickey…

* * *

Halloween Town/Christmas Town

Sora:

I watched Kairi feed with a small smile on my face. Part of me was still dealing with almost losing her. It will not happen again.

"You seem tense, Sora. What's wrong?"

I smiled a little wider at Kairi.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about things."

"This is a beautiful place. Can we stay here for a while?"

I nodded. Now that I was here with her…there was one thing I wanted to do.

"Do you remember the paopu fruit?" I asked suddenly.

"Yes…" Kairi whispered.

I reached into my pocket and pulled the familiar piece of fruit out. She started at it.

"Will you share this with me?" I asked softly.

"I don't know if I can."

"Why?"

"Riku…"

I felt of twinge of anger course through my body.

"So, you have fallen in love with Riku?"

It was a statement, not a question. I turned away from her.

"It's not like that, Sora!"

"Yes it is. I need to hunt. I'm leaving."

I threw the fruit into the snow, feeling disgusted with myself. I walked away, growing softly.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Halloween Town/Christmas Town

Sora:

I wasn't hungry, but I decided to hunt anyway. How could I have made a fool out of myself? I mean…why did I decide to give her the fruit? Even I knew that the allure of the darkness would only work for a little while. The rest of it would take time. Why rush it? Because…because I loved her.

Damnit, why did Riku move in? I was almost there…

I let out a frustrated growl. I listened to it echo around the tombstones and sighed.

_I am holding on to a false hope._

Kairi will never be mine willingly. Not now.

I sat back against the giant curled hill and stared up at the moon. The Heartless were keeping a safe distance from me. I suppose I frightened them a little.

"Someone is coming."

I narrowed my eyes. The Heartless knew Kairi was around, so they couldn't be referring to her. Who? Who were they talking about?

* * *

Gummi Ship

Riku:

Axel shifted in his chair suddenly. I put the ship on auto-pilot and turned to face him.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"The Nobodies…something's going down?"

"Axel, tell me exactly what's going on."

"Remember when Sora told you that he murdered most of the Organization?"

Yeah, I remember. I had murdered quite a few myself, but…

"Yeah…"

"Someone is bringing them back."

Yen Sid had only said one person was going to be revived. Who was bringing people back?

"Which one?" I asked.

"The Savage Nymph."

* * *

Halloween Town/Christmas Town

Kairi:

I was worried about Sora, but it would have to wait. In his wake, he left Heartless to keep an eye on me. Now they were hissing threateningly at a figure in a long black coat. I gasped softly. I thought the Organization XIII was dead. I was defenseless without Sora. Why did I have to say that to him? I…I just couldn't take the fruit…

"So you're the reason why he lives," The person said loudly.

The person was female…

"What do you mean?" I asked.

The woman pulled her hood back, revealing blonde hair and blue eyes.

"You know what I mean. I'm going to enjoy torturing you."

An aura of lightning danced about her body. The Heartless hissed even louder. They weren't amused by the threat.

Where was Sora?

The woman chuckled and pulled out several small black objects. She threw several of them at us. Upon contact with them, the Heartless burst into vapor. I turned to run, which was the only thing I could do.

"Oh no you don't!"

Something hit and dug itself into my back. I shrieked and stumbled sideways into the snow. The woman was standing above in an instant, a cruel smile splayed across her lips.

"Aw, look, you're bleeding. How awful," The woman said happily.

"Get the hell away from her, Larxene!"

_Sora!_

Larxene turned around, hissing loudly. Sora walked into the area, flanked by a couple of Heartless. He looked a lot different than earlier. His eyes were a darker shade of gold ringed with black. His face was slightly flushed and his lips were curled up in a snarl.

"You're the one. I didn't like my teammates well, but they didn't deserve what you did to them," Larxene snapped.

"Are you sure that you're not just mad that I was the one to kill you?"

"Well, you will have more to deal with soon. Someone is reviving those that you felled. Unfortunately, the other half of the Organization won't be coming back."

The pain was increasing in intensity. I was pretty sure that I was bleeding badly.

"Who is reviving them?"

Larxene pulled out another black object. Before she could blink, Sora had her by the throat. Was it me or did his eyes grow even darker?

"Don't test me, Larxene," He hissed.

"So you act like them too."

Sora released her and stepped back.

"Leave," He said simply.

"As you wish."

Larxene disappeared into a dark portal. The Heartless around Sora vanished immediately. He briskly walked over to me and knelt down. Sora gently pulled the weapon out of my back and pressed his hand over it.

"Cura."

I hissed slightly as my wound healed and stared into his eyes. They were nearly black.

"Thank you, Sora," I whispered.

"I shouldn't have left you."

"Sora…your eyes…"

"Forget that. We need to get out of here."

He pulled me up to my feet roughly. His actions showed just how angry he was.

"Stop being mad with me," I said suddenly.

"I'm not angry with you."

He didn't even look me in the eye.

"Why won't you look at me?"

Sora stood up and locked gazes with me. A myriad of emotions danced behind the blackened irises.

"Now I'm looking at you."

"You didn't give me a chance to explain myself earlier."

"Where is there to explain? You love Riku, admit it."

"Sora!" I yelled.

"You know it's true, Kairi. After all, he was better than me in every way," He said with a growl.

I couldn't believe him. He was overreacting big time.

"That's not what I meant! Sora please…listen…"

Sora growled, but said nothing more.

"I never forgot about you ever. I saw your drawing in the cave years ago. Even when you turned evil, I still stood by you. I…killed you out of love…didn't you feel my tears?"

He averted his eyes at that moment. I swore I saw a tear slide down his cheek.

"Yeah, I felt your tears. I felt betrayed. I thought you were on Mickey's side."

I embraced him.

"I'll share the fruit with you."

I felt him gasp.

"Really?" Sora whispered.

"Yeah."

* * *

Underworld

Riku:

The outlook was not looking good. After consulting Hades, we found that there was a huge disturbance that rocked the Underworld. Axel seemed very unsettled by the entire thing.

"Okay, Axel, tell me what you know," I said softly.

"I found out from the other Nobodieds that there has been new additions to their numbers."

"I thought that the normal Nobodies lacked intelligence and power."

Axel sighed.

"I guess I better explain everything then. There are two types of Nobodies: normal and special born. We are all born by the same process, essentially. However, if the soul was powerful before the heart was stolen, the soul gains more power or it stays the same within the body. That would apply to the Organization. Now the normal born resemble the Heartless in a way. You have the Dusks, which are the lowest form…"

"What about the dancers?" I asked.

A smile crept along Axel's face.

"The dancer Nobodies…I think they love me for my body, honestly."

I burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Ok, seriously, what about the addition to the ranks?"

"The people that had been killed by Sora and that did lose their hearts are being reborn as Nobodies. Not to mention that some Organization members have come back by force of will."

_Did we just open Pandora's Box by killing Yen Sid?_

"I think we may be forced to help Sora on this one," I said softly.

"As much as I hate to say it, you may be right."

Yeah, I probably was right.

Nothing is what it seems anymore.

* * *

Normal (Third Person Point of View):

Somewhere deep in the Underworld, someone awoke and stretched for the first time in months. It clutched a long key-shaped object buried in the dirt next to him.

"Keyblade," The creature whispered as it lifted the object up within eyesight.

The keyblade glowed a faint yellow.

"Rise, my army."


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Where is everyone these days? I barely got any reviews on that last one...Oh well. Here's another lengthy chapter for everyone. Those who like the SoraxKairi pairing, well, you'll like this chapter too, sorta.

* * *

Chapter 9

Destiny Islands

Kairi:

After we shared the paopu fruit, things become relatively quiet between us. Sora was lost in his own thoughts deeply. Traveling though the dark realm had drained me more than a little. So now we were back at the tree house, amongst things of old. I was surrounded by memories of people I had left behind. All for Sora. After a few hours, we would share a bit of each others abilities. I wasn't sure what my abilities were, but we would find out soon.

I watched Sora nap silently on the couch. This was the first time I ever saw him rest. I guess the travel wore him out too.

* * *

Disney Castle

Riku:

The entire castle was illuminated in a soft white light. Axel and I exchanged cautious looks and drew our weapons. We left here nearly three weeks ago. Who knew if Minnie and Daisy were still alive? We didn't. We walked down the open hallway to the pair of large double doors that were open. Axel stuck his head inside…

"Hello? Is anybody here?"

I joined him in the doorway. The entire room was filled with so much light that we couldn't see anything.

"Who's there?" A faint voice asked.

"It's Riku and Axel!" I shouted.

The light disappeared with a rumble and the entire room came into view. Daisy appeared about two yards away from us, looking slightly fatigued.

"Oh, Riku, Axel, I thought you would never come back."

"Why, what happened here?" I asked softly.

"Sora attacked Minnie. I took refuge behind the Cornerstone of Light to stay safe."

"Daisy, do you know about what's going on in the Underworld?"

The female duck shook her head.

"No, why?"

"Someone is bringing people that Sora killed back."

"The only exception is that if they didn't lose their heart to them, they can't come back," Axel added.

"Who is doing this?" Minnie asked.

"We don't know."

"I want to accompany you to find out who this person is."

"What about the castle?" Axel asked.

"It will be fine. No Heartless will set forth in here without dying."

Well, that was great news for the castle.

"What are some of your talents, Daisy?" I asked off-handedly.

"Believe it or not, magic."

That raised my eyebrows.

"Ok, let's go. We have to find Sora," I ordered.

"Why?"

"He's in trouble too."

* * *

Destiny Islands

Kairi:

I was hungry, but I didn't want to bother Sora at the moment. For the last two hours, he had been resting rather peacefully. I heard another growl and sighed. Who am I kidding? I'm hungry. I stood up and walked over to the couch. Sora's eyes immediately shot open and focused on me. His eyes were back to a soft amber color again.

"I suppose you're hungry," He muttered as he sat up.

His long brown hair pooled over his shoulders gently. I never noticed just how…how attractive he was in dark form. Sora yawned and gave me a half smile.

"Yeah, I am. I honestly didn't want to disturb you."

"I sensed it anyway."

"Did you really?"

"Of course, we're connected now."

_Connected? Was that why I found him attractive? (Not that I didn't before…)_

The paopu fruit was working. The smile vanished from Sora's face quickly.

"Someone's coming," He hissed.

I could feel his concern and anger building. Before he could stand up, the front door swung open.

"Riku, Axel!" I said with excitement in my voice.

Sora growled and folded his arms. He wasn't happy to see them at all. Riku and Axel walked inside the living room.

"What are you doing here?" Sora asked nastily.

"We're here to help," Riku replied in an equally nasty tone.

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really."

Axel rolled his eyes and pulled Riku behind him. I took Sora gently by the arm and pulled him over to the other side of the room.

"Anyways, I'm sure that you've seen Larxene one way or another," Axel began.

"She mentioned that some of the Organization was coming back," I interrupted.

"Other people are being revived as well. Sora, we've come here to help you."

I could feel Sora's incredulous stare almost as if I were the one receiving it.

"Help me? You weren't saying that weeks ago when I was pursuing Kairi," Sora snapped.

"You can't leave that alone, can you, Sora? You just couldn't face the fact that I was with her!" Riku retorted.

"Well, she's not now and she's bound to me by the paopu fruit!"

Riku drew his keyblade. I had to stop this before it got ugly.

"I'll kill you. I swear I'll kill you!"

"Whatever happened to helping me?"

"Enough!" I shrieked.

Riku and Sora flew backwards into the corners they emerged from. Axel looked at me nervously.

"You aren't going to do that to me, are you?" He asked.

"No."

* * *

Evening 

Kairi:

Riku and Sora reached a temporary truce due to the fact that they didn't want to get slammed into the wall by energy. It was still an uneasy truce that ended up producing a lot of tension in the tree house. So now I was sitting on the beach to get some fresh air. Axel joined me moments later, stating that he didn't care if they killed each other.

"Axel…you aren't mad that I left…"

Axel glanced at me.

"No, I'm not. I'm not mad with Sora either. He was set up by two bastards to be this way."

"You found out some more about his transformation?"

He nodded.

"King Mickey and this guy named Yen Sid set him up. They knew he was bound to snap."

I was beyond horrified.

"Why would they do that?" I asked.

"They wanted to get rid of the Nobodies."

"Unbelievable."

"But you seem to be holding Sora together. He knows he doesn't have long before he loses his mind completely. You're giving him hope. You should be proud."


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** I forgot about the bloody action. But not anymore! I present to you an action packed chapter just to wet your appetite for blood and fighting. The next chapter will have more violence…I guess.

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 10

Hollow Bastion

1:24 P.M.

Kairi:

Riku decided that it would be a lot better if we relocated to another world. Sora agreed rather reluctantly after some coaxing from me. In the meantime, I was honing my new magical power with Daisy's help. It just seemed like the right thing to do. We had to disguise Sora in order to gain entry to the world. I could sense his frustration, his desire and the insanity. Axel said that I was helping him just a little.

Once we got into a room in the inn, everyone went their separate ways. Out of boredom, I went to find Axel. He was standing out on the balcony, staring out at the castle in the distance.

"Hey, Axel," I greeted.

"Hey Kairi. You should be getting some rest."

The only thing stopping me from sleeping was Sora. His emotions kept filtering into my head.

"I'm not really tired. Where's Riku and Daisy?"

"Over in the castle talking to Ansem the Wise."

I nodded.

"Have you seen Sora?"

"Actually no. It would do well for him to not be seen here."

* * *

Sora:

I didn't want to follow Riku and Daisy to the castle. I had nothing to say to any of them. I didn't want to stay in the hotel either. My restlessness was setting Kairi on edge. I didn't doubt that I was still affecting her even as I sat on the bailey. My thoughts shifted over to the information Riku told me last night. Yen Sid and Mickey knew about my clothes. They still sent me off to stop the Nobodies, hoping that my spirit would have kept it balanced.

I wanted nothing more than to rip Mickey into pieces again. It seems like I would get another chance soon.

_Maybe._

I took in a small gulp of air and leaned back against the rocks. The lazy afternoon sun bathed my pale face.

_This felt good._

"Bastard!"

As soon as I heard the voice, I sat up abruptly. Seconds later, I felt something wedge itself into my back. I swallowed my scream and turned around.

Nothing.

No one.

No one as far as my eyes could see. I sniffed the air. I caught a whiff of something that would piss off my anti-existence: Nobody. It didn't smell like Axel. This was slightly different. The difference is what worried me.

"What's the matter, Sora? Can't see me?"

_Wonderful._

I craned my ears as much as I could. The rustling of clothing caught my ears. I shot into motion, not really having a destination. I just felt like I needed to move. As I moved, I heard small thuds sound all around me. Someone was using projectile weapons. I stopped once I reached the wall. Seconds later, something hit my chest. I once again swallowed the scream and looked at what hit me.

It was a shuriken. Only one person used shurikens….Yuffie…

"Yay, I got in another hit!"

A girl appeared at the other end of the path. The pain from both wounds was melding together. I was used to pain, but this was starting to affect me a lot more.

_Shit…I should have gotten more rest._

"So this is revenge, eh?" I asked.

"Don't get so cocky. I can land a lot more on that body of yours!"

Ignoring my pain, I summoned power to my hands and released it. The sky immediately darkened and lightning crashed down on Yuffie in a wide arc. I reached behind me and pulled the shuriken out of my back as she started dodging lightning strikes. I took off in a run, heading straight for her. Yuffie managed to turn around, but not before I cut a line across her chest with her own weapon.

The ninja stepped back and kicked me in the stomach forcefully. I stumbled backwards and clutched at my chest wound. Yuffie recovered from my previous attack and launched another kick to my chest. I hit the ground roughly and wheezed.

"Poor baby. I'm going to make everything better!"

* * *

Kairi:

Pain danced through our link forcing me to hiss out loud. What's going on? Sora was in trouble somehow and he needed my help.

"Kairi…are you okay?" Axel called from outside.

"No, something's wrong with Sora. We've got to find him now!"

* * *

Sora:

I latched onto Yuffie's shoulder, digging my claws in. Out of desperation, I had forced myself halfway into Heartless form. I was on the brink of exhaustion and massive blood loss. I was determined to kick her ass for all the shurikens she wedged in my body (and that I had to pluck out by hand). Yuffie tore away from me, but not before losing a chuck out of her shoulder. With a cry, she kicked me again, which sent me flying onto the front path in front of the castle.

* * *

Riku:

Daisy and I were walking out of the castle as Sora landed on the path. He looked really bad…like he had been in a fight. Sora stumbled back up to his feet, breathing heavily.

"You tried to run away? No fair!"

I didn't recognize that voice at all. A woman walked into view dressed in a black coat. She held a giant shuriken in her hand, ready to throw.

"Sora…" I started.

"I-I'm...okay…" was his answer.

That didn't sound okay. I needed to help him. Before I could move, Sora extended his hand. The air suddenly turned cold. Daisy whimpered and backed up behind me. Black vapor oozed out from Sora's skin. He was preparing a spell. The same black vapor that was oozing out of his skin surrounded the girl. It wove itself around her arms tightly, restraining her. I glanced at Sora's face. It was extremely red and his eyes were black. All of a sudden, the vapor around the girl exploded into huge balls of flames that rapidly expanded to cover her body.

Both Sora and the girl screamed for what seemed like forever. Then it stopped and the smoke drifted away. All that was left of the girl was tattered pieces of cloth. Sora now had black streaks running down his face, but he was, otherwise, okay. Or so I thought.

"You bastard!"

In a blink of an eye, Sora was being impaled by a glowing blue/white sword that was being held by a guy in a black coat. The guy, satisfied with his handiwork, backed off and faced us.

"Daisy, see if you can help, Sora. I need some exercise."

I drew my keyblade and started forward.

* * *

Kairi:

I was actually out running Axel as we made our way up to the front of the castle. Sora was in a state of agony and that pooled over to my mind. When we reached the front, a gruesome sight assaulted us. Sora was on the ground, clutching at a blade lodged in his chest. He made a terrible raspy, gurgling sound that was accented with blood oozing out of the side of his mouth. Daisy was by his side, but whether or not she was trying to help was another thing.

Riku was nowhere to be found. But I didn't care. Sora was badly hurt. I ran over and knelt down next to him.

"Sora…what happened?" I asked.

He looked at me, eyes half-lidded.

"Kai…ri…"

I had to heal him. I grasped the hilt of the sword and pulled it out. Sora let out a raw scream. I ignored it and pressed my hand over the wound.

"Curaga."

That word alone sent a shiver down my spine as it started to work on his body quickly. Within seconds, his wounds closed and he began to slump over onto me. Realization of what I just did hit me hard as Sora leaned against me, breathing heavily. He almost died and I saved him. I felt him dying earlier. It was strange, feeling him separate slowly from me.

"Kai…ri…thank…you…" Sora whispered.

"Is he okay?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah, he's fine. Where's Riku?"

"He was fighting some guy and he disappeared in the dark realm."

Axel drew his chakrams.

"I better go see if he needs help," He declared.

"No need. I'm back."

I turned around and saw Riku stepped out of a dark portal.

"You're safe," Daisy commented softly.

"Yeah, I am, but I think we need to let Merlin know about the growing situation."

"Not before I help Sora. He needs to feed in order to regain his strength," I said softly.

Riku gave me an incredulous stare. I gave him a determined glare.

"Fine. We meet at Merlin's house in a couple of hours."


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** For those who didn't get who that last person was who attacked Sora, it was Leon. This is the second bloody chapter before it kicks off into drama/action. This chapter is pretty lengthy, because I wanted to get some stuff in before I patched in the bit of violence. The next chapter may have a little action, but I'm not sure yet. Lastly, I want to know how I'm doing with the story over all. I know this is a little different from Twilight Existence in the fact that there isn't as much bloody action going on. I wanted to make Twilight Emergence focus more on the characters feelings, but at the same time I wanted to stay true to the plot.

That reminds me. There is a plot twist coming at the end of the chapter. I almost forgot about it. Oh, and there's one extremely random moment and the first time that Kairi really goes Anti.

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 11

Hallow Bastion—Merlin's House

Kairi:

Sora was still very out of it by the time we made it to Merlin's house. He barely talked except for short sentences mentally. I wasn't sure if the wounds inflicted earlier were causing this or not. I took a deep breath before walking into the room with him in tow. Everyone except for Axel, Daisy and Riku gasped, though I could see tension in Riku's expression. He still wasn't comfortable with the fact that I was supporting Sora. We took a seat next to Axel.

Sora made a small sound and placed his head on my lap. I resisted the urge to blush. For some odd reason, this just felt right.

"Let's get this meeting to order," Axel suggested.

"Why is he here?" Aerth asked.

"Believe it or not, he's key to our plans," Riku replied.

"Sora was attacked today by Yuffie and Leon's Nobodies," Axel said softly.

"Maybe he deserved it," Aerth snapped.

"That's not being fair," I snapped back.

Aerth and Cid gave me a bitter glare. I glared back.

"You didn't have people killed that you cared about!" Cid hissed.

"And what does that make me?" I asked, daring him to keep going.

"Enough!" Axel shouted, effectively stopping an argument from brewing.

I was still more than annoyed at Cid's outburst, but I let it go…for now.

"Listen, we believe that Mickey or someone else is raising an army of Nobodies. We don't know how that would affect you or anyone else in the city," Riku muttered.

"They are probably here for Sora," Aerth muttered.

A growl escaped from my lips, which resulted in the entire table staring at me.

"You know, I actually hope Tifa or Cloud's Nobody comes to tear you apart in your sleep! Maybe I should do it myself. After all, I am connected to the person you secretly fear the most," I said in a low and deadly voice.

I decided that I wanted nothing to do with this meeting and teleported Sora and myself to the room in the inn. With a blink of an eye, I was back in my own hotel room right on top of the bed. I touched the top of Sora's head gently and sighed.

"I'm not afraid to be like you if it means that we can stay together," I whispered.

Sora stirred somewhat, then lay still. Did I really mean what I said? Yes, yes I did. Now there was going to be even more discord amongst the group. Axel would agree with me with nearly everything, but Riku…

"Kairi!"

…was probably going to rip my head off with words. I made sure that Sora was fully on the bed and got up. I crossed the room and opened the door. I stepped out and closed the door behind me just as Riku walked around the corner.

"So…what was with that outburst?" He asked.

"I said what I wanted to say."

"Are you out of your mind? Months ago, you were against him and now you practically defend him."

"Why are you questioning me?"

Riku seemed to falter at my question.

"Kairi…"

Now I knew why he was acting this way. Riku had feelings for me.

"You have feelings for me, don't you?" I asked.

"What does it matter? You have Sora."

"Don't act like that! Please…"

Riku turned and walked down the hallway. Part of my heart cried out for him. The other half…

I needed air…

* * *

Two Hours Later

Sora:

I woke up finally in a hotel room. Kairi was not around, but I could sense her…a little. I sat up and stretched gently. She saved me from death with her own magic…when she could have let me die with Leon's sword stuck in my chest. It seemed that she was truly growing closer, embracing my power and hers. I got up and walked to the door. I opened it and came face to face with Riku. I really wasn't in the mood to see him right now. Temporary truce or not, I would rip him a new asshole if he rubbed me the wrong way.

"So, you're finally up," Riku muttered.

"Yeah, no thanks to you."

"I stopped Leon from buring you alive with the effects of that sword. I think you could show me a little gratitude," He snapped.

_He wanted a fight, eh?_

"Oh please, Riku, you want my thanks?"

"I swear I'll kill you…"

"You've made that threat before!"

Riku snarled and drew his keyblade. I flexed my hand and pulled from my newly refilled magical 'store'. I released it and watched Riku fly down the hallway and into the wall. I walked past him with a wide smile on my face.

"Release your magic, Sora!"

I'd say I had adjusted well to the connection the paopu fruit made. Kairi's magic was truly a great thing. (Granted that I almost died because of it.) I found her sitting on a bench outside.

"Sora, you're awake!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, I am."

"I'm glad you've recovered. You had me worried."

I blinked.

"I did?"

Kairi nodded.

"Yeah. I don't want to lose you, Sora."

Her words caught me completely off-guard. This is what I wanted to get back from her…and now I had it. Now I didn't know what to do.

"I…I don't want to lose you, either," I replied softly.

And I meant it.

Kairi stood up and embraced me. I settled into her embrace and rested my head on her shoulder. Nothing could ruin this moment. Kairi stiffened up and began to hiss threateningly.

_On second thought, I may have jinxed myself._

She pushed me away from her and ran past me. I turned so that I could see where she was going and saw…Tifa in standard Nobody attire. Nevermind the fact that Kairi sensed her before I did, but Tifa was going to rip me a new one as soon as she got a hold of me. This couldn't get any better. That is…until Kairi and Tifa started fighting each other.

Only one thing registered in my mind at the moment: Girl Fight.

* * *

Kairi:

I easily ducked under Tifa's punch and tackled her down to the ground. She tossed me off into the wall and got back onto her feet.

"You're mine, Sora!" Tifa shouted.

_Like I'm supposed to let you tear him apart._

I got back onto my feet and started for her again. This time I purposefully dug my nails into the side of her neck while attempting to bring her down. Tifa reached around and sent me flying across the street for the second time.

_Wow…she was strong. There's no way I could take her down without using magic or…_

'_Use the Anti-form.'_

Sora's voice echoed around in my mind. Anti-form? Tifa started towards Sora with new determination. I let out a burst of energy towards her, which knocked her off of her feet.

'_Anti-form?'_ I asked mentally.

'_Draw energy from me and will yourself to transform,'_ came the answer.

I focused on the link and pulled energy away from it. It washed over my body, bathing me in its ethereal dark beauty. Black vapor began to ooze out of my skin. My nails lengthened in front of my eyes and I felt two pinpricks against my lips.

_Fangs?_

_The power…_

Tifa turned to face me, lips curled up in a snarl. I dashed towards her and tackled her to the floor. She caught the side of my mouth with a punch. I barely flinched and dug my claws into the side of her face. She screamed and threw another punch at my face. This time, I caught her fist and twisted savagely. A satifying crack sounded, followed by a scream. A smile eased across my face.

Finally, the little witch was getting what she deserved. But alas, I was bored. With a laugh, I snapped her neck and got up. I turned around, only to see Riku, Sora and Axel sitting on the bench eating popcorn. The dark energy left me, leaving me relatively normal. Riku and Axel got up and walked back into the inn. Before Sora could move, I was sitting in his lap.

* * *

Evening

Sora:

"_Sora? Sora!"_

_Kairi's teary face appeared before me._

_What's wrong? Why are you crying?_

"_Come back to me!"_

_I am next to you! What are you talking about?_

_Another image came into view. It was of a man holding Kairi by the throat._

…_It…it was me._

I woke up suddenly in the dark, breathing heavily. That dream was so vivid. But why would I hurt Kairi? She and I were connected by the paopu fruit no, so that would be essentially like killing myself. Still…that dream was scary. My gaze fell on a sleeping Kairi who was lying to me. I didn't dare wake her up. After all, she brought me back from death and went Anti-form for the first time. That was very exhausting.

I needed a walk.

I went over to the edge of the bed and stood up. After pulling some clothes on, I walked out of the room. I rounded the corner and walked outside. It was slightly cool and cloudy. Nothing seemed wrong. I walked out into the middle of the street. The Nobody smell hit me full force.

_Not now._

I drew my keyblade and turned slightly to the right. A man in a black coat was standing a few yards down the street. His aura felt really familiar…then it hit me.

"Mickey," I hissed.

The mouse/man laughed.

"About time I caught up with you, Sora."

As much as I wanted to fight him, now was not the time. I turned towards the inn and I found my way blocked by other beings in coats.

"What do you want, Mickey?" I asked softly.

"You, of course. More specifically your body and your heart."

I lifted my arm, preparing to weave a spell. Mickey lifted his arm and snapped his fingers. Pain radiated through my body, dropping me down to my knees. I couldn't breathe all of a sudden. The keyblade fell out of my grasp and clattered to the ground. I couldn't scream. I couldn't make a sound…

'_Kairi…'_

_

* * *

_

Kairi:

'_Kairi…'_

Sora's voice echoed through my head, startling me. I sat up and glanced at the spot Sora could have been in. He wasn't there. I got up from the bed and slipped a robe on before exiting the room. I rounded the corner quickly and emerged outside just in time to see Sora collapse to the floor and vanish along with a dozen people in black coats.

"Sora!" I screamed.

_Oh god…where did he go? Who took him?_


	13. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** I am still waiting on feedback on the plot. Um…here is your normal/angsty chapter. Next chapter: action. I am finally above schedule with chapter writing so I can keep up with updates every day. Yay!

The end for Twilight Emergence is in sight now. I hate to tell you guys that, but it's true. In a matter of perhaps three or four more chapters, this story will come to an end. But I'm not allowed to say goodbye yet, so let's enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 12

Hollow Bastion

3:31 A.M.

Kairi:

Axel tried to calm me down to no avail. Sora was gone, stolen from my grasp and link. I had never felt so vulnerable before. During this entire situation, he was always there to feed and protect me. Now he was gone.

"Kairi…it's okay. We'll find Sora soon, I promise," Axel whispered.

"Axel…I could have saved him from being taken. Just as I walked outside, he vanished with other people in coats…"

"Hush now…we need to rest up. Riku's searching the dark realm now for him and those people."

He was right and I knew it.

"Axel…thank you."

"You're welcome. Just stay here with me tonight. I'll protect you."

* * *

8:35 A.M.:

"Did you find him yet, Riku?" Axel.

"They barely left a trail behind them. All I know is that they are in the World that Never Was." Riku.

A sigh.

"Good. I didn't think we would be able to find him so quickly. When can we leave?"

"We can't."

A pause.

"What do you mean?"

"The Gummi routes are blocked and the dark realm is dangerous enough to travel through. We can't do anything now."

Axel scoffed.

"How do I know you're not just saying that because Kairi's all alone now?"

"Would you think that I am that cruel?"

"Riku, I know what jealousy does to people. I just want to make sure that your judgment isn't be clouded."

"My judgment is being clouded? Axel, you were supporting the person who had torn apart the Organization and kidnapped Kairi for his own gains!"

"Don't think that I've forgotten about Roxas' death, Riku! But I am not about to let Kairi down either!"

"I'm not letting Kairi down!"

"Liar! Ever since we've gotten here, you've been a bastard to Kairi and Sora!"

"Well, if you love her so much then help her without me!"

"Fine."

I was already awake by the time the argument started. Axel's words rang true in my head. So did Riku's. They were arguing over me passionately. Arguing over what was best to do for my sake. I wasn't sure if I could take this. Riku and Axel were the best of friends. Their unity meant everything to me.

The door opened and closed softly. I sat up. Axel sat down on the couch and buried his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Axel," I said softly.

"You have no need to be sorry."

"But this is my fault."

"Don't say that! Riku will come around sooner or later. In the meantime, we need to prepare."

I still had one question to ask.

"Why are you helping Sora?"

"Because there's some good left in him. I know because Roxas tells me so."

* * *

12:35 P.M.:

After much coaxing, Axel told me where Sora was. By then, I was already mentally prepared to go. I spent hours hunting with the Heartless and refining my new powers. But as much as I wanted to, I couldn't achieve full anti-form again. I had my own share of powers and the abilities drawn from Sora. Perhaps there was something wrong with me. Nevertheless, I had to summon the inner strength to allow myself to be engrossed in the darkness.

"Kairi, you aren't going by yourself," Axel said forcefully.

"I think I'm capable of doing things by myself, Axel."

"This is the dark realm we're talking about. I'm going with you."

"What about Riku?" I asked in a surprised tone.

"Like I said earlier, he will come around."

And with that, Axel opened a dark portal in front of us.

"Thank you, Axel."

"No problem. Just stay close to me when we're in the realm. I don't want to lose you."

I nodded. We both stepped into the portal and emerged into the darkness. Axel grabbed my hand and led me forward. I didn't bother to resist him. He obliviously has traveled through here a lot. My eyes were slowly adjusting to the lack of light. The 'walls' that made up the passageway were composed of swirling shadows. The air seemed lighter than it was the first time I traveled through. I suppose that was because my soul was darker.

"Axel, how does the realm feel to you?" I asked softly.

"Well, it pretty much feels the same as when I'm in a world. There's really no difference."

I nodded. A chorus of hisses and laughter shattered the momentary silence. I tensed up slightly. Axel squeezed my hand to reassure me.

"That's just the Heartless. They won't hurt you."

_Ah, I was still connected to Sora, whom they respected._

After a few minutes, the noise faded away to heavy silence. A light loomed a few yards ahead of us. Axel growled softly.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nobodies. A lot of them. There's no Organization members around yet."

"Sora must be here then. I'm ready to go."

"Okay."

We walked through the portal. The streets of TWTNW (The World That Never Was) were illuminated by the normal shaped moon in the sky.

"Its appearance hadn't changed, but the aura sure has," Axel muttered under his breath.

In the distance, I could see white bodies emerge from the ground. Extremely lithe looking women walked into the area followed by three burly creatures with giant hammers.

"Dusks, Dancers and Berserkers. I hope you are ready to fight, Kairi," Axel said in a low voice.


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** Thank you for the generous reviews and comments left for the past few chapters. Of course, before I started thinking about Twilight Existence and Twilight Emergence, I didn't know that the creatures known as Plot Bunnies existed. Well, they do. My next project will probably be a fic on Saix. I'm not sure if it will be a crack fic, or perhaps just an angsty one.

Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 13

The World That Never Was

Kairi:

Axel took on the berserkers with a burst of fire that threatened to scorch the sky itself. The Dusks and Dancers directed their attention towards me. They probably thought I was weak since I was by myself. I was beyond determined to show them that they thought wrong. Two Dusks started forward, seemingly gliding across the ground. I gathered up the energy for a spell and released it within a blink of an eye.

Several lightning bolts descended from seemingly nowhere and struck the two Nobodies with deadly accuracy. Their bodies convulsed and exploded into a mass of black and white fragments. The women (dancers) hissed and jumped into action. By using graceful front flips, they drew into a tight circle around me. Their bodies swayed to an unknown, hypnotic beat. If I wanted to be philosophical, I would say that they were swaying to the rhythm of life.

But I wasn't.

The dancer directly in front of me (think noon position on a clock) flipped forward and preformed a wide roundhouse kick. I took in dark energy as I ducked under the range of the kick. I felt my nails lengthen into claws automatically and swiped at the dancer's other leg, that was brilliantly exposed. It connected and the creature cried out as it fell backwards. I took the opportunity to pounce on it and start tearing it apart.

All of a sudden, I was yanked backwards and thrown across the field. The culprit was another dancer. With a soft grunt, I managed to right myself before I hit the ground. The other Nobodies gathered in front of the fallen. Their bodies swayed erratically. The kill had brought on some new sensations that were just finding its way into my brain. Lust for the blood of the fallen and of the living….the feeling of superiority over my prey…

It was imperative that I didn't follow these things. Perhaps Sora had fallen prey to the wicked sensations before. But it was hard to resist. The dancers began to charge, their hisses turning into howls of rage. It was then when they were close enough to maul me, that I finally stopped resisting. A scream tore from my throat as I released large amounts of power into the air. It tore through the ranks, visible only as black tendrils.

The dancers were being torn apart limb by limb…

_More…I wanted more!_

More power emptied itself on my command, tearing through what was left of the elegant dancers. When there was nothing left but pieces of guts and puddles of blood, I pulled the power back into my body.

_This was the bloodlust._

The group of Dusks started forward. I simply stared at them. Seconds later, they were engulfed in black fire. A hammer flew across the street and wedged itself into a building. Axel came into view, fully locked in the dance of combat with two berserkers. The creatures swung their hammers, attempting to keep him away. Axel backed away and released blasts of fire from his chakrams. He seemed perfectly at ease, so I decided to wait, encased in the haze of bloodlust. Seconds later, Axel stopped toying with the berserkers and laid waste to them with a torrent of fire. I couldn't hide my smile as I walked up to him. Axel sighed and wiped his forehead before putting his chakrams away.

"How are you holding up, Kairi?" He asked once I got close enough.

"I'm just fine," I replied in a husky voice.

Axel looked fully into my eyes.

"Your eyes are gold."

_Really?_

"Is that something to worry about?"

"Kairi, I've seen that look before. Saix gets that look after he goes berserk and kill someone. It's the afterglow of bloodlust."

_Afterglow, huh? I kind of like it._

"Are you worried that I wouldn't be able to think rationally?"

"Don't let the darkness fully swallow you, Kairi. Remember Sora needs you to stay remotely pure. Now, I elect for a shortcut. Follow me!"

Axel took off towards a building and ran up it. I took off after him and even caught up to him halfway up the building. We reached the top with ease. Axel paused.

"How much of Sora's powers are you taking on?" He asked.

"I've already learned how to track like the Heartless. I can almost turn anti."

"Can you sense the people present in the world?"

I nodded. I already knew roughly who was here and who wasn't.

"Yeah."

"I know Larxene is alive. Who else is present?"

"Someone with the element of ice and another likes plants."

"Vexen and Marluxia."

"Cloud is present here as well as a wizard, Mickey…and…and"

Axel looked at me in concern.

"Who? Is it Sora?"

_Honestly, I wasn't sure. I had just picked up on the spirit minutes ago._

"I-I'm not sure."

"Oh look, I found you, Axel."

Axel and I turned around.

"Marluxia," Axel muttered.


	15. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:** Thank you for the reviews, as always. It is going to seem like Night of the Living Dead, because people are coming back. As to who is coming back, I can't mention it. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 14

The World that Never Was—Top of Memory's Skyscraper

Kairi:

A man with long brown hair and green eyes stood in front of us, dressed in a black coat. He was actually handsome in appearance. In his hand, he held a long scythe. I picked up a very small amount of dark energy from him.

"Marluxia, you don't want to fight us. We're not the reason you were brought back," Axel said as calmly as he could.

"Thanks for telling me that, but I figured I would take time to get you back destroying my garden a few years ago!"

"That wasn't my fault!"

"Like hell it was!"

Marluxia lifted his staff to attack…

I blinked.

All of a sudden, he was behind Axel, taking a slice out of his back. Axel was propelled off of the edge of the building as a result. Marluxia turned towards me with a soft smile on his face. If you ignored the first attack, you would think he was harmless. But he was anything but that.

"Firaga," I muttered.

Uttering those words caused a powerful gust of wind….and then Marluxia exploded in flames, knocking him over the edge as well. Axel climbed back onto the building and shook his head.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'll be okay for now."

Marluxia appeared again, this time he was floating in mid air. With a feral smile, he extended his hand. A force I simply can't describe slammed into us. I was propelled into the side of another building. Because I was sure that the fall could kill me, I dug into the side with all of my might. I ended up sliding just a little, but I was scared out of my mind. I didn't see where Axel landed. I could only hope he was okay.

In the meantime, Marluxia was closing in on me. A pillar of fire shot up from the ground towards him. The Organization member disappeared.

_Okay…where did he go?_

Before I could turn my head to investigate, Marluxia appeared right in front of me and swung his scythe right at my hands. I let go of the building…and left behind yet another Firaga spell. There was no way in hell that I would survive this.

"I got you!" Axel shouted.

I turned my head just as he jumped away from the building. He caught me and landed on the ground with a fiery thud.

"Thank you," I whispered gratefully.

Axel nodded and set me down. Marluxia appeared in front of us, scythe in both hands. His face was slightly flushed almost as if he had been burnt. Perhaps he had taken some damage. Marluxia lifted his scythe. Axel jumped in front of me to shield me.

_No, he's going to get hurt again!_

Without hesitation, I jumped in front of him, arms out wide. Marluxia reappeared in front of me, scythe raised to strike. As it neared my body, it seemed to slow down…

…Until suddenly, it stopped.

_What was going on?_

I touched the tip of the weapon and watched in wonder as it shattered in front of my eyes. I blinked. Everything seemed to return to normal speed. Marluxia flew backwards into the street. Pieces of his scythe clattered to the ground in front of me. Axel moved out from behind me and immediately closed in to attack the fallen Organization member. I turned away, not bothering to watch.

"Kairi."

That wasn't Axel's voice. I glanced around, trying to put the name to the face. My eyes caught a black figure standing on the rooftop.

_Who was that?_

"Who are you…?" I asked.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I felt a small twinge. I hadn't forgotten about my bond with Sora…

Instead of feeling emptiness there, I felt…

"Now you're getting somewhere."

_Sora…?_

"Sora…?"

"Why don't you come to the castle, Kairi? Come find me."

Something told me that this was all wrong. But I couldn't dispute the bond in the back of my head. The figure turned and vanished into the night air.

"Kairi?"

_Oh, Axel!_

I turned around. Axel was staring at me with a pained and concerned look in his eyes.

"Curaga," I whispered.

He groaned as the bells appeared above him, showering him in curative magic. The spell faded after a minute or so.

"Did you see something?" He asked.

"Sora. I think I saw him."

"You saw him."

"I felt him there in the back of my mind. But I don't know whether it is truly him."

"We should head to the castle, maybe he is there."

* * *

TWTNW—The Castle that Never Was

Normal (Third Person Point of View):

The former king Mickey watched as the two intruders started towards the castle. Everything was going according to plan. Sora had successfully baited Kairi into coming to the castle.

"I told the Chilly Academic and the Savage Nymph to be ready for them," a soft voice announced.

Mickey turned to face his new companion, the former Keyblade Master. Sora stared ahead with emotionless, dull amber eyes.

"I want you to scour the dark realm. I have a feeling someone will try to help those two."

"Yes…Master."

* * *

Kairi:

We walked into the castle that used to belong to the Organization. Months ago, we were here to stop Sora from destroying everyone. Months ago, everywhere we went in this world was a dead body to show his anger and frustration. I had to end it all then. Would I have to end it here again? Axel seemed a little unsettled as well. His friend had been murdered here. The memories must assault him with every step.

"Oh, look! It's Axel and that girl!"

"Larxene," Axel hissed as he drew his chakrams.

Larxene walked in view, with more than a few kunai in her hands. Behind her, stood a man with long brown hair. The floor beneath his feet was frozen solid. He was the Nobody I had sensed earlier. Axel called him Vexen.

"You don't look happy to see me, Axel," Larxene said in a sing-song voice.

"I'm not," Axel replied flatly.

I think that we were in for a long fight. Larxene threw her kunai at the both of us with a chuckle. Axel grunted and threw his chakrams forward. It went a few feet before exploding into a wall of fire that blocked the kunai.

"Kairi, go! I can take care of these two!" Axel shouted.

I shook my head no. If I left him behind, Vexen and Larxene would tear him apart.

"No, I want to help."

Seconds later the wall had been constructed, Larxene charged through and tackled Axel to the ground. The fire wall vanished instantly and I was left with Vexen. Vexen lifted his hand…and the air grew cold around me. Before I could move, my body was encased in ice. Larxene flew past us and into the wall with Axel hot on her trail. Mentally, I began preparing a Firaga spell as Vexen drew near.

"Such an excellent specimen. Almost like that Sora kid. I think I'll take you alive."

_Like hell you will._

I released the spell from my hand, pouring more and more energy in it. The ice instantly vaporized from the power. Vexen backed away as I poured more energy into the spell, which forced it to expand. Another scent drifted up my nose. One that was very unfamiliar. Like the earlier bloodlust, it left me in a wonderful, powerful haze. I stared at Vexen who was still backing away slowly.

His face showed no emotion, but his eyes did. Fear danced behind the brown irises.

_That was this scent…fear. I like it…_

I finally let the energy go…

The energy slammed into Vexen, throwing him across the room. I took off after him. When he finally stopped sliding, I was upon him, claws ready. The scent left me hungry and…violent. For the next few minutes, I tore Vexen apart and lost myself in the haze of heat and hunger.


	16. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** Sorry about not updating yesterday. It broke the chain of daily updates that you've gotten used to. But I had to not update because I had nothing for Ch.15 and I didn't want to rush through it to make it on the site before midnight. Plus, I had gotten addicted to an online game. (I know online games suck away your life.)

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 15 

TWTNW-The Castle that Never Was

Kairi:

"Kairi! Kairi!"

_Who was that calling me? Why was this person calling me in the first place?_

The darkness gave way to Axel's face which was now covered in tiny scratches and cuts. I stared at him in confusion.

"Did I black out?"

"Y-Yeah…about that…"

I blinked.

_Why did he sound so nervous?_

"What's wrong?"

"You devoured Vexen."

_What?_

I sat up and glanced all around me. I was surrounded by bones, blood and scattered pieces of gore. I was nauseated and satisfied at the same time.

"What happened to Larxene?" I asked, changing the subject.

Axel managed to smile.

"Well, nothing she won't kick my ass for if she decides to come back again."

I didn't feel like laughing, but I smiled anyway. I got back onto my feet and brushed myself off.

"Let us keep going," I suggested.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"I'm fine. Please don't worry."

When I turned around, a black figure was standing on the stairs. I motioned for Axel to turn to look.

"Who are you?" He asked.

The figure folded its arms. I wasn't sure if it was Sora or not. There was the familiar feeling in the back of my mind…

"Sora…?" I asked.

The figure bowed and vanished. Axel grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards the front entrance. I fought against his grip. I wanted to see Sora…make sure that it was all right. Alas, Axel was still stronger than me physically at this point. We ended up outside in the now chilly air.

_Wait…the air was chilly._

My senses felt as if they were on fire. I wasn't talking about my human senses. No, for this I was referring to my sharpened Heartless senses.

"You can't escape, so don't try."

I didn't want to turn around. That voice belonged to Sora…yet it was icy and laced with venom. I could feel his influence crash into my mind. I suddenly felt ill. More than ill. It was as if Sora's presence was ripping my consciousness away.

* * *

Normal (Third Person): 

Axel could only watch helplessly as the Heartless appeared in a circle around them. Kairi appeared to be ill as Sora appeared in front of them. _He looks like something you see in a nightmare_, Axel thought dryly. Without warning, Kairi collapsed. Axel caught her before she hit the ground and lifted her up. This only seemed to provoke the summoned Heartless into a fit of hissing.

The Flurry of Dancing Flames was outnumbered. Even if he could dispatch the Heartless, there was the tiny issue of Sora.

"Yo, Axel!"

Axel turned around just in time to see Riku out through the line of Heartless behind him, followed by a wary Daisy.

"Riku…" was all he could say at the moment.

What he saw next would have dropped his jaw to the floor if it was possible. The "Key of Destiny" walked into view followed by the "Melodious Nocturne".

"We'll spare the witty banter later. Come on!"

Axel more than happy to oblige.

* * *

Memory's Skyscraper 

Kairi:

I regained consciousness moments later. I was relieved to see that we were in a building. I couldn't sense Sora anymore. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. How much did Mickey do to make him feel this way? And how come I wasn't feeling the after-effects? Well, I couldn't say that I wasn't feeling the effects. After all, I had devoured Vexen.

"Kairi, you're awake," said a gentle voice over to my right.

I turned my head and saw Riku. He was looking slightly battle weary. There were small scratches and cuts all over his ivory face. I was glad to see him, though.

"Riku, you're here. I thought you were going to help us."

"I was definitely being an asshole earlier. Besides, I could let you guys face this alone."

I nodded.

"Roxas, how did you survive?" _Axel…?_

I thought Roxas was dead? I turned my head just a little further and saw an unusually happy. Axel standing in front of a blonde-haired kid. That was Roxas all right. I recognized him from the pictures Axel kept in his room at home. I was so happy for him. He finally got his wish amongst turmoil. Another addition to the room was a man with light brown hair. He was dressed in the coat that all Nobodies wore.

In his lap rested a musical instrument…a sitar. His fingers were strumming lovingly across the string, producing a quiet, subdued melody. It was comforting. It was if he were encouraging us to relax for a while.

"Where are we, Riku?" I asked softly.

"We're in the Dark City. In Memory's Skyscraper."

"What about Sora?"

"That's where Demyx comes in. He is vital to the shield keeping Sora out."

_That's why I couldn't feel him._

"How long can he keep this up?"

"Forever, if we wanted to hide," Roxas answered.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, it's effortless. Half of Demyx's potential is in that sitar."

"Half?" Demyx asked.

He was giving Roxas a stare that meant death.

"Don't flatter yourself," Axel muttered.

"Anyways, all of us should get some rest. Especially you, Kairi. You're bound with Sora which means that you're probably feeling the effects of what Mickey did to him."

"We move in six hours," Axel announced.


	17. Chapter 16

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the long period of time with no updates. I have been really busy lately. Plus, I had none of Ch.16 done by the time I posted Ch.15. I have decided to do one last episode after this. It will be called Twilight Exodus. I have a fair idea of what I want to do in that one, but I will take suggestions. Thank you for the reviews and your patience.

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 16

7:53 A.M.

Kairi:

Sora's presence was back again, looming behind me like a shadow. It had already pierced my link, much like it did before. There was insanity on the frays on the link…

"Kairi…come back to me."

His voice sounded so real, so close. I swear he could have been lying next to me whispering in my ear.

"Don't try to run from me!"

The room in front of my eyes slowly came back into focus. Everyone was staring at me as if I had grown a pair of shadow antennae. I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Please stop staring at me," I said softly.

"It's worse than I feared. Sora is deliberately breaching Kairi's mind," Roxas muttered.

"He's not deliberately doing that!" I snapped.

"Thank about it, Kairi. You and Sora have a mental link—"

"Enough! That's what Mickey wants. He's playing with our minds," Riku interrupted.

"He's right, Roxas. We need to focus and act as one. Let's step outside."

This was it. After six hours of rest, we were going to go back outside. Sora was waiting—I didn't exactly know where. Riku opened the door and went out first. Axel and Roxas went second. A wary Demyx went out third and Daisy and I went out last. Blood was everywhere. The air reeked of it strongly. My Heartless senses sharpened just from inhaling it. A loud hiss tore my attention from the blood to…Sora.

"He's finally snapped," Riku whispered.

I cringed when I heard that. I could confirm that fact…but I didn't want to believe it. All of a sudden, Sora vanished. Axel and Roxas immediately drew their weapons. Sora reappeared in front of me seconds later. Riku, Axel and Roxas immediately reacted by pointing their weapons at him. My bonded stared at them with blank, dull eyes. He lifted his hands…

I felt the energy before it left his body. Axel, Roxas and Riku flew across the street into a building. Sora turned around to face me. I shivered when his eyes met me again.

"Dance, Water, Dance!"

Water separated us in a flash. I was pulled backwards by Demyx. Water forms closed the distance between me and Sora. Sora roared and started through the water forms. Roxas was first to intercept him with two keyblade.

"Demyx! Get her and Daisy out of here!" Axel ordered.

"Okay!" Demyx shouted.

He led us down the street away from the castle and Memory's Skyscraper. The noises of battle lessened as we got away.

_What could I do?_

_I was here to help Sora, but I wasn't back there, trying to subdue him._

Guilt nagged at my thoughts.

_You should turn back. Turn back and help him._

I took in a deep breath and ran back.

"Kairi, don't!"

I ignored Demyx and kept going. By the time I got back to the Memory's Skyscraper area, Sora and Riku pinned down to the ground. Axel and Roxas were struggling to get up to their feet.

"Sora! Stop it!" I screamed.

Sora paused and cocked his head to the side.

"Kairi, what are you doing here?" Axel asked.

Sora stood up and started towards me. He stopped in front of me and touched my cheek.

_I'm sorry, Sora._

Without hesitation, I grabbed his arm, twisted it savagely and threw him off to the side.

"Go get Mickey, you guys! I'll handle Sora?"

Axel and Roxas stared at me incredulously. Sora slowly started to lift himself off of the bloody ground. I could feel his outrage. I rushed over to him and kicked him in the chest.

"Go!" I shouted.

"You heard her, you guys!" Riku shouted.

They were gone in a matter of seconds. Demyx and Daisy followed soon after. I was relieved to see them go. Sora latched onto my legs, digging his claws in with force. I hissed in pain and tried to 'shake' him off literally. He pulled backwards violently, forcing me off-balance. I fell onto my back roughly. Sora removed his claws and proceeded to move into a straddling position.

"Sora, come back to me. Please, don't let him control you!" I said quickly.

He didn't seem to be affected. I balled my hand into a fist and punched him as hard as I could. I managed to knock him off of me and rolled over onto my chest. Sora slowly sat up and bared his fangs.

_God, he was going to kill me…_

_

* * *

_

Roxas;

We were at the top of the castle when Mickey finally appeared in front of us. The former mouse king as Riku put it, appeared clad back in the Organization garb. I wasn't sure what the hype was about the mouse. Yes, I was brought back by the disturbance that he caused, but I didn't see why he was intimidating. All of a sudden, the room exploded into intense flames. Yes, I didn't see how he was intimidating…until now.

A wall of water rose up between us and Mickey, shielding us from the fire. I turned my head slightly so that I could see Demyx. The brown-haired musician was actively focused on playing his sitar. I silently thanked him and turned back to the action. The fire spell vanished. The water wall instantly vaporized. I summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion and was off in a flash.

Mickey summoned a keyblade of his own and brought it up. I used Oblivion to start the swordfight…and swung for his head. He easily blocked it and jumped up to strike at my midsection. Oathkeeper met it and deflected his keyblade out wide. Oblivion came in unbelievably fast, scoring a hit on his upper chest. Mickey backed away and snapped his fingers. Heartless, Dusks, Creepers and Dragoons started to appear all around us. Axel let out a burst of fire at the now growing crowd.

Demyx went back to playing his sitar, summoning random columns of powerful water.

"Dance, Water, Dance!" He shouted.

His water forms surrounded me. Mickey cut through the water forms determined to get to me. I poured energy into Oblivion and let it fly. The dark keyblade embedded itself in Mickey's chest with so much force that it sent him flying. In the meantime, the volume of Heartless and summoned Nobodies had increased significantly.

"Demyx, do you remember that thing Xemnas told you not to do?" Axel asked.

"Yeah."

"Do it!"

The blonde musician took a breath…

_Wait, Xemnas told him not to do that high-pitched note…_

_Oh great…_

_

* * *

_

Kairi:

Something that resembled a high-pitched note shattered the silence of the air. Sora paused and screamed. He was in pain. It was filtering through our link. I guess the noise was getting to him.

"Kairi…"

The sound of my name caught my attention. Sora was staring at me with normal yellow eyes. I watched him warily.

"Is that you, Sora?" I asked.

I mentally prepared another spell to strike him down with. It hurt me that I would have to do this—to hurt him.

"Why am I here?"

The high-pitched noise stopped as suddenly as it came. And Sora was starting at me with blackened irises. I willed away the urge to cry.

"Let's go again."


	18. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** I'm still waiting on some suggestions for third part: Twilight Exodus. The next chapter after this is the Epilogue. Thank you for the reviews! I love you guys!

* * *

Chapter 17

Roxas:

When Mickey finally got away from Oblivion, he quickly went on the offensive. It was getting harder to avoid his strikes, which came at close and fast intervals. Demyx and Axel had summoned the dancer and assassin Nobodies to help them against the wave of creatures, but it didn't help. I could only hope that Kairi could return Sora to normal. Mickey struck again hard enough to knock both keyblades out of my hands.

I backpedaled to get out of his reach. Surprisingly, he didn't pursue me. I continued to back up into the safety of my allies. Mickey made his keyblade vanish. The air grew heavy. The Nobodies and Heartless backed away.

"What are you doing, Mickey?" Riku asked.

"Destroying the world."

The floor shook violently beneath our feet, throwing us off-balance. I landed on top of Axel, which in other circumstance, would have been excellent. But this wasn't the time.

"Ultima!" Mickey shouted.

The walls around us literally exploded outward. I managed to shield my head from the onslaught. The sky was a deep crimson color. Where the moon used to be was a swirling burnt orange ball that was leaking streams of fire. I tried to get back onto my feet, but I found that I couldn't. Some mysterious force was keeping us pinned down.

* * *

Kairi:

The ground shook violently beneath us, forcing both of us off-balance. I wasn't sure what was going on, but all I knew was that some serious magic was in the air. It affected Sora greatly for he was holding his head in pain.

"Kairi…what's going on?"

_Sora?_

He was now staring at me with bright amber eyes.

_He was back to normal!_

I rushed over to him carefully.

"You're in the World that Never Was," I replied.

"Mickey…he took me…"

I embraced him tightly.

"I know."

"You need to get away. He still has my heart. I am still a danger to you."

Out of the corner of my eye, black cracks began to form in the pavement. Parts of Memory's Skyscraper began to break off and float into the sky. A powerful wind swept through the area lifting up large chunks of the pavement. I had to admit that I was terrified.

"Sora, what's going on?" I asked over the noise.

"He's destroying the world."

The sound of destruction grew louder. I could only pray that Axel and the others were okay.

"I don't want to die now…"

"Don't worry, Kairi…You won't," was the last thing before the world went dark.

* * *

Dark Depths—Remnants of The World That Never Was

Kairi:

I opened my eyes before I knew that they were closed. It was dark…much like the darkness of the dark realm. My eyes took seconds to adjust. What I saw next made me wish that I had kept my eyes closed. The 'walls' were composed of Heartless arms and bodies writhing in what seemed like agony. It was absolutely horrifying to see.

"Kairi!"

The rest of the group gradually appeared in front of me, no worse for the wear. I silently thanked the gods for their safety.

"I'm so glad you guys are safe."

"What about Sora?" Riku asked.

_Sora?_

I turned around. My bonded was lying on his side on the 'ground'. I checked our link. Nothing. Panic welled up in my chest. I had to bring him back somehow. I touched his head with my fingers and mentally prepared myself to cross our link. I felt myself falling…

When it stopped, I was sitting on the sand of a beach. I stood up and glanced around. This was Destiny Islands.

_How did I get back here? Wait…I must be in Sora's mind._

"Sora?" I called.

I took yet another look around and saw him standing in the middle of the beach. Behind him was darkness.

"Sora…is that you?" I asked.

"You shouldn't be here."

"I came here to see you."

"Go away."

I walked across the beach until I was inches away from him. Sora stared at me with startling blue eyes.

"Do you remember why I ate the paopu fruit?"

"Yeah…but…"

"But nothing, Sora. I ate the fruit so that I could be with you. I am your light now!"

Sora simply stared at me. There was a tear rolling down his pale cheek. I took my thumb and brushed it away gently.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Take your heart back."

* * *

Roxas:

"All right, I'll bet eight-thousand munny that Demyx will aid in Mickey's defeat," I declared.

Axel and Riku gave me an incredulous look.

"I doubt that'll happen. Ten-thousand munny says that he won't," Axel muttered.

"Fifteen-thousand munny says the same thing," Riku added.

I kept my snicker to myself. We left Daisy by Kairi's side to ensure protection and ventured into the dark depths. It didn't take long to find Mickey. Axel attacked first, creating a firestorm that scorched the area in front of us. The mouse king emerged soon after, glowing a deep yellow. I rushed at him, intending to impale him. However, he vanished before I could do so. I slid to a stop and glanced around warily.

"Roxas, move!"

_Axel?_

All I saw as a flash of light before I felt a searing pain across my midsection. I fell backwards. Axel rushed over to my side with a concerned look on his face.

"You bastard! Come back here so I can fry you to bits!"

Mickey appeared again and was instantly trapped in a column of water. Riku approached the column warily. All of a sudden, the mouse broke free of the spell and started towards Riku. Seconds later, Riku was attempting to block his blows.

* * *

Kairi:

I was relieved when Sora got up onto his feet. So far, everything was on it's way back to normal. Now we had to help the others. I followed him further into the dark depths. Axel was shielding Roxas with his body. Riku was struggling to get up from the ground. Demyx was trying desperately to keep Mickey away with water spells. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for long.

"Kairi…you know what to do," Sora whispered.

When I was in his mind, he taught me one spell. There was only one spell he couldn't cast…

I took in a deep breath.

"Holy."

Power instantly poured out of my body and engulfed the area in white light. Mickey stopped and screamed. Several white orbs materialized above him and fired laser-like beams at his body. The lsers tore through his body, vaporizing it completely. The light faded as quickly as it came.

"Hey you guys, you so owe me," Roxas announced.

"Are you kidding?" Axel asked.

"He aided in the defeat of Mickey, now pay up."

"Roxas, I swear I'll kill you."

"I doubt that."


	19. Epilogue

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the extremely late update. I had this chapter ready to go last weekend, but due to sickness, I couldn't bring myself to post it. I have been stressing a lot about how to begin Twilight Exodus. I think I've finally got it. Expect to see it soon. I'd love to express my thanks to everyone who has reviewed and read this story. It has been maybe a little over a month since I've started this. If you'd like to stay with me for one more installment, I wouldn't fail to disappoint you.

Oh wait. I forgot the disclaimer for this chapter. I don't own Passion by Utada Hikaru and don't sue me for making a character that resembled her. I didn't post the translation, because it's so easy to just go and look it up.

Enjoy the last chapter/Epilogue.

* * *

Epilogue

Kairi:

All of us returned to Destiny Islands with the exception of Daisy. Daisy returned back to the castle. She wasn't alone, however. With the death of Mickey, everyone returned from the dead, except for certain Organization members. They came back with no memory of dying. This made it easy to soothe Sora's conscience. Demyx and Roxas moved in with us, which made life a lot more interesting.

Axel became a lot livelier than before. He and Roxas eventually became lovers. It was actually quite sweet. Axel still owed Roxas ten-thousand munny. Demyx became a famous pop/rock star and was now living the life that most rock-stars lived, with the exception of use of drugs. He made a wonderfully good living. So much so that we were able to move into a lavish house on the main island.

We rarely saw him during the day at all. Axel used to call him a vampire.

Sora seemed to change after we got back home. He became distant and melancholy. For a moment, I thought I had lost him. Eventually I become pregnant with our first child. Sora seemed to cheer up then. In fact, he became over-protective in a good way.

We lost the child one month into pregnancy.

I was devastated.

Riku became a closer friend—a shoulder to cry on. Did I mention that he and I got over our issues? Well, we did. I still think that he was accepting the fact that Sora and I were still together. He also still owed Roxas fifteen-thousand munny.

I managed to recover and now I was expecting again.

"Hey, Kairi, we're going to be late!"

I frowned as I smoothed over my outfit. Sora was so impatient. Besides, I had to make sure that I looked okay. Today was one of Demyx's biggest concerts and he had given us front row seats. I didn't blame Sora for being so excited. After all, it was rare when he did get to go out in public. He was still attempting to control his Heartless powers.

"Kairi?"

I turned towards the door as Sora poked his head in the doorway. He had trimmed his hair to his shoulders after Roxas made a game out of pulling it. His eyes never did return to being blue, but that was okay.

"All right, I'm ready. Where's Axel and Roxas?"

"On the porch."

* * *

Ten Minutes Later:

The stadium was a sight to behold by itself. Demyx really was treating us like royally by putting us up front like this.

"I wonder what Demyx is up this time?" Sora asked softly.

Axel rolled his eyes.

"He did say there was a special performance this time," Roxas commented.

It wasn't long before the 'Melodious Nocturne' walked onto stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to our special concert. Introducing Kailani!"

Demyx stepped back as his sitar appeared in his hands. In the background, a person appeared with a set of drums. A woman dressed in a long, flowing blue dress walked onto the stage. Next to Demyx appeared a man with a keyboard. Seconds later, the music began.

"Wonk uoy naht niotceffa erom deen I…"

What was peaceful silence exploded into a driving passionate beat.

"Omoidaseba…haruka haruka

Mirai wa…doko made mo kagayaiteta

Kirei na…aozora no shita de

Bokura wa…sukoshi dake obiete ita.."

The woman, Kailani, began walking around the stage slowly yet elegantly as she sang.

"Natsukashii iro ni mado go somaru…

Mae wo muitereba

Mata aemasu ka…

Mirai wa…doko e demo tsudzuiteru 'n da

Ooki na kanban no shite de

Jidai no…utsuroi uo mite itai na…"

Her voice was pure…almost as melodious as Demyx was when he was singing seriously. With a small poof, a small group of dancers appeared on the stage. They began to dance in a loose circle around Kailani just as she began to sing again.

"Nido to aenu..

Hito ni basho ni

Mado wo akeru…"

Her voice grew in intensity and passion.

"Omoidaseba…haruka haruka

Mirai wa…doko made mo kagayaiteta

Kirei na…aozora no shita de…

Bokura wa…itsumademo nemutte ita…"

The dancers twirled and flipped around, captive to the beat of the music.

"Zutto mae ni suki datta hito," Kailani sang.

Much to my surprise, Demyx responsed.

"Fuyu ni kodomo ga umareru sau da…"

"Muskashi kara no kimari goto wo.." Kailani.

"Tama ni utagaitaku nara yo…" Demyx.

"Zutto wasurerarenakatta no…" Kailani.

"Nengajou wa shashin tsuku kana…" Demyx.

"Watashitachi ni dekinatta koto wo…"

"Totemo natsukashiku omou yo…"

"My fears, my lies…"

The music went silent. The dancers vanished.

"Aozora no shita de," Kailani sang softly.

* * *

The End, for now! Keep watch on my profile page to see when Twilight Exodus will be posted. Also, I'm looking for a co-author on this one. Send me a personal message if you want the job. 


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